Most Fertilizer Dependent Countries In The World

In Qatar, 6,898.7 kg of fertilizer is consumed annually per hectare of arable land, the highest in the world.

A fertilizer is any material that can be of natural or synthetic origin and used for applying on the plant tissues and soils to supply effective nutrients to the plants for their growth. The farmers work on the healthy soil to get a good yield of crops. However, it may happen that the nutrient level is low in the soil, so the farmers use fertilizer for the growth of crops in a quicker manner. There are some macro and micronutrients, which benefits the growth of crops like nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sulfur, etc.

Fertilizer Usage in Top Countries

Here are some of the countries in the top 10 list whose fertilizer consumption are highest in the world as Qatar tops the list with 6,898.70 kg per hectare of the arable land. Singapore uses 2759.60 kg per hectare of arable land, Seychelles 1,750.00 kg per hectare of the arable land, Malaysia 1726.60 kg per hectare of the arable land, etc. In Qatar, a large volume of fertilizers is used for raising crops because the country has an arid climate and poor, nutrient deficit soils. Only 6% of its land is suitable for agriculture. The country is not only the highest consumer of fertilizers but also the fourth-largest producer of urea in the world. The Qatar Fertilizer Company produces 5.6 million MT of urea and 3.8 million MT of ammonia. Singapore stands second in the row of fertilizer usage list of the arable land, as the fertilizer use has changed the face of crop cultivation in the country. The plants have recorded an increase in productivity, photosynthesis and stress tolerances.

Curbing The Harmful Effects Of Fertilizers

The increased usage of fertilizers decreases the quality of soil as over time, it increases the acidity of the soil. It results in water pollution because the fertilizer used in the fields is drained through rainfall and sewage to the rivers, lakes, and oceans and disturbs the aquatic ecosystem. The fertilizer run-offs also contaminate groundwater that is used for drinking purpose and might trigger the fatal blue baby syndrome in infants. It is advisable to reduce the fertilizer usage and to maximize the balance of microorganisms in the soil that will help in the growth of plants and supply of nutrients, home based farming, increase usage of organic farming, etc.

Most Fertilizer Dependent Countries Of The World

Rank	Country	Fertilizer Consumption (kg/hectare of arable land) (2013)
1	Qatar	6,898.70
2	Singapore	2,759.60
3	Seychelles	1,750.00
4	Malaysia	1,726.60
5	New Zealand	1,578.90
6	Kuwait	1,097.80
7	Bahrain	1,031.30
8	Oman	887.70
9	United Arab Emirates	855.50
10	Hong Kong SAR, China	841.00