The Current Problems of Chemical Fertilizer Supply and Consumption in Korea

비료수급정책(肥料需給政策)의 현황(現況)과 대책

The major problems of chemical fertilizer supply and consumption involved in price policies since the end of World War II in Korea and their solutions were extensively discussed. The period was divided into three sub-periods: 1946-1960, 1961-1967 and 1968 to present. Since 1968 when the operations of three large-scaled fertilizer plants: Yongnam Chemical Co., Chinhae Chemical Co. and Hankuk Fertilizer Co. were begun in full scale, the domestic supply of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers were almost enough for the domestic demand. However, since 1976, when Namhae Chemical Co. was added to the production capacity, the fertilizer industry has been faced with the overproduction problem of nitrogen, and the high production cost due to high petroleum price, which gave financial difficulties. Several policy directions and alternative measures for solving the current problems were also suggested in this presentation.