Sugar Fertilizer Prices

[sugarman]

Hi,

I am a researcher in the sugar industry, currently looking into sugar in Thailand. I have tried in vain to look up fertilizer retail prices in Thailand. Appreciate very much if anyone can give me an idea of fertilizer prices or website link to it.

Thanks a lot

[jimbabe]

Hi,

I am a researcher in the sugar industry, currently looking into sugar in Thailand. I have tried in vain to look up fertilizer retail prices in Thailand. Appreciate very much if anyone can give me an idea of fertilizer prices or website link to it.

Thanks a lot

I think I remember paying about 13 usd for 50 kilo for rice field

[sugarman]

Hi,

I am a researcher in the sugar industry, currently looking into sugar in Thailand. I have tried in vain to look up fertilizer retail prices in Thailand. Appreciate very much if anyone can give me an idea of fertilizer prices or website link to it.

Thanks a lot

I think I remember paying about 13 usd for 50 kilo for rice field

Hi jimbabe,

thanks for this info. But where do you usually check your fertilizer prices? Is there any organisation or website I can check with regards to retail prices for probably now back till 1-2 years ago?

[Pierrot]

Is there any retailer /wholesaler who now publish an online price list? Any progress since last year?

[ozzydom]

Hi,

I am a researcher in the sugar industry, currently looking into sugar in Thailand. I have tried in vain to look up fertilizer retail prices in Thailand. Appreciate very much if anyone can give me an idea of fertilizer prices or website link to it.

Thanks a lot

Extremely hard to give prices in the current climate, they have been rising virtually weekly of late.

Prices have risen between 50-200% in the last 6 months alone.

There is a thread in the farming forum re cost of fertilizers which will give you a good idea of how the prices are moving.

Check out the" Farm cost increases through the roof " thread.

[SAP]

Hi,

I am a researcher in the sugar industry, currently looking into sugar in Thailand. I have tried in vain to look up fertilizer retail prices in Thailand. Appreciate very much if anyone can give me an idea of fertilizer prices or website link to it.

Thanks a lot

HI Sugarman (sweet guy)

Who do you do the research for? What reason do they use the information?

SAP

[rice555]

Hello sugarman, House Agriculture Magazine has a chart of how much is used in LOS, it lists 66 types, #1 is 46-0-0. My translator is a sleep, so can't give more detail except their P/N 02 579 5536-7, this could just be the magazine, but most articles in Thai Ag magazines have a contact number at the end.

rice555

[rice555]

Hello again sugarman, after talking with the translator it's clear as mud, the figures are to date or each month????? But the June issue gives the figures for April.

46-0-0 is 552,110.23 tons, B.7,467,159,664.07. Their are figures for the 66 different kinds.

The P/N was for a govt office where you register if you have a compost or fertilizer to sell, they may have info or can point you in the right direction.

rice555

#2 0-0-60 Tons 195,786.31 B. 2,825,701.923.50

#3 16-20-0 172,467.00 B.2,312550,636.00

#4 21-0-0 156,801.20 B. 1,486,493,163.87

#5 18-46-0 117,915.00 B.3,129.495,499.00

#6 15-15-15 108,448.47 B.1,449,980,713.00

#7 16-16-16 28,587.60 B.487,369,626.00

#8 15-42-0 19,850.00 B. 529,294,003.00

#9 10-44-0 19,632.90 B. 468,346,762.00

#10 11-52-0 19,524.00 B.376,181,205.00

[ozzydom]

Rice, can you expand for me what these figures mean.?

#9 10-44-0 19,632.90 B. 468,346,762.00

[slapout]

ozzy; looks like no. of tons used and price in baht vs the type of fertilizer.

[ozzydom]

ozzy; looks like no. of tons used and price in baht vs the type of fertilizer.

Thanks mate ,I guessed it might be that, I would not vouch for my maths but it looks like the high Phosphorus fert,s are triple super phosphate and I cant buy it anywhere under 2,400 baht a bag,but that pricing must be the wholesale or import price as I think it only works out at about 1300 baht a bag.

[rice555]

Ozzyydom, sorry for not writing more Ton's down.

rice555

[ozzydom]

I wonder where and for what purpose all the high Phosphorus ( P )fertilizer is used ,there are some big tonnages listed there yet 90% of the outlets dont stock it in my neck of the woods.

[SAP]

I wonder where and for what purpose all the high Phosphorus ( P )fertilizer is used ,there are some big tonnages listed there yet 90% of the outlets dont stock it in my neck of the woods.

My guess would be that it gets used in the mixtures of 15 15 15, 13 13 21, 15 15 28

etc...

SAP

[Pierrot]

You may find some explanation here :

http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=p...=17&gblog=1

But I would appreciate some help with the transalation ...

[SAP]

You may find some explanation here :

http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=p...=17&gblog=1

But I would appreciate some help with the transalation ...

I had a Thai read it to me, but he cannot speak english. Its basically an explaination of the numbers on the bag of fertilizer and then how to calculate how many kilos of nutrient you are applying

eg

the number is a percentage of nutrient in bag.

100 kg of 13 13 21 would have 13kg of Nitrogen 13kg of phosphate and 21kg of potassium

SAP

[Issangeorge]

I just bought fertilizer yesterday for my cassava, 15-15-15 ฿1,240 per 50 kilogram bag. Issangeorge.

[ozzydom]

I just bought fertilizer yesterday for my cassava, 15-15-15 ฿1,240 per 50 kilogram bag. Issangeorge.

Takes the shine off profit margin doesnt it, also 15% protein fish food hit 300baht per 20kg bag yesterday.

[Khonwan]

I just bought fertilizer yesterday for my cassava, 15-15-15 ฿1,240 per 50 kilogram bag. Issangeorge.

Hi Issangeorge

You could almost certainly have saved yourself a couple of hundred baht per bag by buying 15-7-18 for cassava. Research shows that the extra 8% phosphate in 15-15-15 will not improve the yield.

Rgds

Khonwan

[Issangeorge]

Thanks Khonwan, I am sure you are right, but my wife is doing the farming and that is what she wanted, plus we also bought fertilizer for the rice farm and for peanuts she has planted all the same. This is our first attempt at cassava so we are learning. When it is time for the second amount of fertilizer I will try to get the wife to take your advice. It must be noted that the farming is definitely a hobby for me. My real income is from a pension, and then I teach as my first hobby, so the farming is down the list, but it would be nice to make more than I put into it.

Completely unrelated, I have the chance to buy a 3 KVA generator with a 5.5 Hp Honda engine for ฿5,000. I don't really need a generator, but that seems like to good a price to turn down. Is it? Issangeorge.

[Khonwan]

...

Completely unrelated, I have the chance to buy a 3 KVA generator with a 5.5 Hp Honda engine for ฿5,000. I don't really need a generator, but that seems like to good a price to turn down. Is it? Issangeorge.

I’d consider it a good price, assuming it’s in good working order. Very handy to have for emergencies or for occasional use out in the fields.

Rgds

Khonwan

[SAP]

I just bought fertilizer yesterday for my cassava, 15-15-15 ฿1,240 per 50 kilogram bag. Issangeorge.

Hi Issangeorge

You could almost certainly have saved yourself a couple of hundred baht per bag by buying 15-7-18 for cassava. Research shows that the extra 8% phosphate in 15-15-15 will not improve the yield.

Rgds

Khonwan

I would recommend getting a soil test done, and then getting professsional help or use something like the data below which is from the World Fert Manual. (A really useful book) There are many differing soils in Thailand, and I am sure that a few years of increased phospahte will better yields in all crops that follow. Generally speaking P is the safest fert, and leaches only about 5-10cm per year. So if you put too much on this year it will still be their next year.

I really like this sort of data below, and you can find information like this for all crops.

I have trying to insert a chart into here but it is not formatting correctly

1st number on left is Yield t/ha

3 Numbers on the right are kg/ha nutrient removal for N P & K

Nutrient uptake and removal - Macronutrients

Yield t/ha Plant Source kg/ha

N P2O5 K2O

45 Fresh roots 62 23 197

Whole plant 202 73 343

37 Fresh roots 67 38 122

Whole plant 198 70 220

18 Fresh roots 32 8 41

Whole plant 95 23 77

9 Fresh roots 13 2 5

Whole plant 39 7 12

If you take the 45 ton/ha example that equates to

Yield 7.2 tons/rai, therefore the P205 requirement is 11.2 kg/rai

50kg/rai of 15 15 15 would give 7.5kg of Phosphate/rai.

18 ton / ha equates to

2.88 tons/rai, therefore P205 would be 3.68 kg / rai

50kg/rai of 15 15 15 would give 7.5kg of Phosphate/rai.

50kg/rai of 15 7 18 would give 3.5 kg of Phosphate/rai

We should always be puting back in whatever we are taking out.

SAP

Edited June 8, 2008 by SAP

[Khonwan]

Hi SAP

The same manual (http://www.fertilizer.org/ifa/publicat/html/pubman/cassava.htm )states:

Thailand - (north east and south-eastern region). 95 kg N, 45 kg P2O5, 95 kg K2O per ha. This can be applied as 300 kg/ha 15-15-15 at planting, followed at 3 months by a side dressing of a further 50 kg N and 50 kg K2O per ha.

This ratio of 95:45:95 (N:P:K) above equates to 15-7-15.

Reinhardt H. Howeler (CIAT Regional Cassava Office, Dept. of Agriculture, Chatuchak, Bangkok), one of the people quoted in the manual, states, “In both Vietnam and Thailand farmers tend to apply too much P but not enough N and K. To maintain a positive balance of all three major nutrients it is recommended that farmers in Vietnam apply less P and farmyard manure (< 5–10 t ha-1), but apply additional K in the form of chemical fertilizers. In Thailand, it is recommended that farmers shift from applying 15-15-15 to the use of a compound fertilizer high in K and N such as 15-7-18, applying at least 200 kg ha-1 to sustain an average cassava root yield of about 15 t ha-1.” (http://ciat-library.ciat.cgiar.org/Articulos_CIAT/10_20HOWELER_20_RS_2012_10_.pdf)

The many reports I have read all indicate that phosphate in excess of this does not increase yield in the case of cassava. Therefore, it is an unnecessary expense to apply 100kg of 15-15-15 when 100kg of 15-7-18 will do at least as good a job.

I do agree, however, that soil testing is to be recommended.

Rgds

Khonwan

PS I just received your PM after drafting this - thanks for your comments, SAP - I appreciate them.

[SAP]

Hi SAP

The same manual (http://www.fertilizer.org/ifa/publicat/html/pubman/cassava.htm )states:

Thailand - (north east and south-eastern region). 95 kg N, 45 kg P2O5, 95 kg K2O per ha. This can be applied as 300 kg/ha 15-15-15 at planting, followed at 3 months by a side dressing of a further 50 kg N and 50 kg K2O per ha.

This ratio of 95:45:95 (N:P:K) above equates to 15-7-15.

Reinhardt H. Howeler (CIAT Regional Cassava Office, Dept. of Agriculture, Chatuchak, Bangkok), one of the people quoted in the manual, states, “In both Vietnam and Thailand farmers tend to apply too much P but not enough N and K. To maintain a positive balance of all three major nutrients it is recommended that farmers in Vietnam apply less P and farmyard manure (< 5–10 t ha-1), but apply additional K in the form of chemical fertilizers. In Thailand, it is recommended that farmers shift from applying 15-15-15 to the use of a compound fertilizer high in K and N such as 15-7-18, applying at least 200 kg ha-1 to sustain an average cassava root yield of about 15 t ha-1.” (http://ciat-library.ciat.cgiar.org/Articulos_CIAT/10_20HOWELER_20_RS_2012_10_.pdf)

The many reports I have read all indicate that phosphate in excess of this does not increase yield in the case of cassava. Therefore, it is an unnecessary expense to apply 100kg of 15-15-15 when 100kg of 15-7-18 will do at least as good a job.

I do agree, however, that soil testing is to be recommended.

Rgds

Khonwan

PS I just received your PM after drafting this - thanks for your comments, SAP - I appreciate them.

I don't know about Cassava and I didn't even bother to read to much of what other people were doing, what I would tend to do is'

Know your target yield

Soil test

Use the Nutrient Removal Chart to figure the amount of nutrient that needs to be applied

Unless fertilizer trials are done on a similar soil type as your own they can actually be totally irrelavant to your conditions. Or they have been replicated in many different locations, then I would show some notice but still trying to identify a soil closest to what you have.

I just want to question this

The ratio of 95:45:95 (N:P:K) above equates to 15-7-15.

This is correct, but are they not actually saying you require 45 kg/ha of P, therefore you need to apply 300 kg of 15 15 15 to get this. if you apply 200 kg of 15 7 15 you are only putting on 14 kg/ha of P. 14 kg/ha of P does put you inline to get about 15 t/ha or 2.4 t/rai. And according to the data they are providing unless the P is increased or their is reserve P in the soil about 15 t/ha will be about the maximum yield.

I've been through this with sweet corn in Thailand, the standard recommendation is 50 kg/rai of 15 15 15 and 50 kg/rai of urea side dressed. This is coming from Universties and Dr's aswell, but in actual fact on soils we using this would only supply about 30% of the potassium that was required.

SAP

[Khonwan]

...

I just want to question this

The ratio of 95:45:95 (N:P:K) above equates to 15-7-15.

This is correct, but are they not actually saying you require 45 kg/ha of P, therefore you need to apply 300 kg of 15 15 15 to get this. if you apply 200 kg of 15 7 15 you are only putting on 14 kg/ha of P. 14 kg/ha of P does put you inline to get about 15 t/ha or 2.4 t/rai. And according to the data they are providing unless the P is increased or their is reserve P in the soil about 15 t/ha will be about the maximum yield.

...

SAP

Hi SAP

I have always advised the application of 100kg of 15-7-18 per rai. That equates to 625kg per hectare. That equates to 93.75kg N, 43.75kg P, 112.5kg K per hectare. And this for a target of 31.25t/ha.

SAP, how can you possibly use the table as a tool? Look at the data – there is absolutely no correlation between the figures (in the case of tuber only; whole plant figures are also askew if they were to be used as a reference point). The tuber N-P-K uptake for the 37t/ha was actually greater than the 45t/ha. You simply cannot use a table like this to extrapolate figures for your own cultivation. We both know that there can be a host of reasons for such difference, which in itself makes the tables worthless since the raw data is not made available within the document.

Do remember also that much of the phosphate is returned to the ground since the branches, petioles, and leaves are all normally left in-situ and ploughed back in (unless you have a market or personal use for the very high protein feed contained therein – excellent for all animals including fowl, rabbits, swine, bovines and fish…after being sun-dried for 2-3 days).

In fact, the table is rendered even more useless because of what I have just written. The table gives uptake figures for the tuber and separately for the whole plant. However, the tuber and (usually) the stems are removed whilst the remainder of the plant (as described by me above) is returned to the ground. The table does not account for this very normal reality.

Rgds

Khonwan

[SAP]

Hi SAP

I have always advised the application of 100kg of 15-7-18 per rai. That equates to 625kg per hectare. That equates to 93.75kg N, 43.75kg P, 112.5kg K per hectare. And this for a target of 31.25t/ha.

SAP, how can you possibly use the table as a tool? Look at the data – there is absolutely no correlation between the figures (in the case of tuber only; whole plant figures are also askew if they were to be used as a reference point). The tuber N-P-K uptake for the 37t/ha was actually greater than the 45t/ha. You simply cannot use a table like this to extrapolate figures for your own cultivation. We both know that there can be a host of reasons for such difference, which in itself makes the tables worthless since the raw data is not made available within the document.

Do remember also that much of the phosphate is returned to the ground since the branches, petioles, and leaves are all normally left in-situ and ploughed back in (unless you have a market or personal use for the very high protein feed contained therein – excellent for all animals including fowl, rabbits, swine, bovines and fish…after being sun-dried for 2-3 days).

In fact, the table is rendered even more useless because of what I have just written. The table gives uptake figures for the tuber and separately for the whole plant. However, the tuber and (usually) the stems are removed whilst the remainder of the plant (as described by me above) is returned to the ground. The table does not account for this very normal reality.

Rgds

Khonwan

If you believe tables like these are useless, why use a soil test as that is using the same technology as well. But I do agree I would not ever just use one reference point from a book to base my fertilizer program on. And I imagine that there isn't same world wide research done on cassava as is done on corn, potatoes, and rice.

But you make very good point about the root removal amounts of P compared to whole plant requirements, if you are growing cassava on the same block year in year out with the fertilizer program you recommend, the reserve phosphate levels in the soil will be increasing.

Are you side dressing N and K??

Because both of these plants are very leechable, I actually did a test after harvesting potatoes (March) we had 250 ppm of potassium. By September it had dropped to 80ppm due to leeching.

On corn I have seen K deficiency on some sandy soil types where full basal application of K is at planting. I now put 2/3 on at planting and a 1/3 about 30 days longer, on lighter soil types.

Also I have learnt that if you have low organic low cec soils, for potatoes and corn when applying nitrogen use about a 1/3 at planting and then drip feed the rest on about every 10-14 days, with last application about 30 days before harvesting. And you struggle to find fertilizer recommendations like this in the US or Europe, but they are not in the tropics.

I know this is cassava, but it will still apply.

Khonwan your fertilizer applications and yields seem to match fairly well with what the manual is saying, if you want higher yield and feel that you are growing healthy strong plants, and your fields are uniform, and you should have enough reserve P if you have applying 625kg of 15 7 18 why not test side dressing another 100 kg/ha of N and about another 200 kg/ha of K. And I would only test this year & follow up with yield tests to check.

Crop removal for 45 t/ha of potatoes are about the same a cassava, where extra nitrogen take your yield so far, but to get the bumper crops you have to hammer the potassium on.

[Khonwan]

If you believe tables like these are useless, why use a soil test as that is using the same technology as well. But I do agree I would not ever just use one reference point from a book to base my fertilizer program on. And I imagine that there isn't same world wide research done on cassava as is done on corn, potatoes, and rice.

But you make very good point about the root removal amounts of P compared to whole plant requirements, if you are growing cassava on the same block year in year out with the fertilizer program you recommend, the reserve phosphate levels in the soil will be increasing.

Are you side dressing N and K??

Because both of these plants are very leechable, I actually did a test after harvesting potatoes (March) we had 250 ppm of potassium. By September it had dropped to 80ppm due to leeching.

On corn I have seen K deficiency on some sandy soil types where full basal application of K is at planting. I now put 2/3 on at planting and a 1/3 about 30 days longer, on lighter soil types.

Also I have learnt that if you have low organic low cec soils, for potatoes and corn when applying nitrogen use about a 1/3 at planting and then drip feed the rest on about every 10-14 days, with last application about 30 days before harvesting. And you struggle to find fertilizer recommendations like this in the US or Europe, but they are not in the tropics.

I know this is cassava, but it will still apply.

Khonwan your fertilizer applications and yields seem to match fairly well with what the manual is saying, if you want higher yield and feel that you are growing healthy strong plants, and your fields are uniform, and you should have enough reserve P if you have applying 625kg of 15 7 18 why not test side dressing another 100 kg/ha of N and about another 200 kg/ha of K. And I would only test this year & follow up with yield tests to check.

Crop removal for 45 t/ha of potatoes are about the same a cassava, where extra nitrogen take your yield so far, but to get the bumper crops you have to hammer the potassium on.

Hi SAP

No, we don’t dress with either N or K. My initial thoughts are that I believe dressing with another 28kg/ha of K may be beneficial but I would not be inclined to increase N since that risks foliage development to the detriment of tuber development in the case of cassava. On the other hand, I agree that K and particularly N do leach and that extra dressing may therefore be indicated.

I appreciate your advice and will carry out some experiments.

Rgds

Khonwan