Kuala lumpur: Rising fertiliser costs and supply chain uncertainties are prompting Malaysian growers and plantations to adopt a more efficiency-driven approach to crop nutrition, shifting the industry's focus from fertiliser volume to nutrient effectiveness.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Wastech Group Sdn Bhd executive director, Nicholas Hii, stated that farmers are becoming increasingly selective in how they purchase and apply fertilisers amid higher raw material prices, logistics disruptions, and labour challenges. Hii emphasized that there is a noticeable shift in mindset across the market. The current focus is not solely on purchasing fertiliser at the lowest cost, but on ensuring that each application results in greater nutrient efficiency, improved crop response, and better return on investment.
Hii noted that growers are increasingly seeking solutions that enhance nutrient uptake while minimizing losses due to leaching, runoff, and over-application. This shift is crucial as farmers and plantations face challenges such as higher raw material prices, logistics disruptions, supply chain uncertainty, and labour shortages.
The impact of rising fertiliser prices varies across different agricultural segments. For smallholders and short-cycle crops, prolonged cost increases might compel some growers to delay purchases, reduce application rates, or switch to lower-cost alternatives. However, Hii warned that such measures, if not managed carefully, could affect crop nutrition and long-term productivity. He highlighted that for plantation crops like oil palm, fertiliser remains a critical input for productivity and cannot be significantly reduced without impacting yields.
Many plantation operators are now focusing on optimizing applications, reducing wastage, and improving nutrient uptake efficiency. Hii suggested that higher fertiliser prices should be viewed not only as a cost challenge but also as a catalyst for the industry to adopt better nutrient management practices.
He further mentioned that technologies such as controlled-release fertilisers, precision irrigation systems, agronomy-driven nutrient programmes, and customised fertiliser formulations are expected to play a larger role as growers aim to improve returns while managing rising costs. Hii believes that the broader transformation of agriculture will increasingly be driven by technology, data, and precision farming tools that assist growers in making more informed decisions on crop nutrition, irrigation, and resource management.
The industry is transitioning from a volume-based fertiliser approach towards a more efficiency-based strategy, where the focus is not just on the quantity of fertiliser applied, but on how effectively the fertiliser is utilized by the crop, Hii concluded.