Necessity of Establishing Fertilizer Law and National Standards for Fertilizer Management System in Iran

Fertilizer is known as an important factor in agricultural production since many years ago. Use of chemical fertilizers in Iran started more than 50 years ago and has grown during recent years. Nowadays, issues such as fertilizer quality, distribution, scientific recommendation, methods of application, environmental effects, and chemical residues in crops are very important concerns. Fortunately, attention to “fertilizer” as a subject in national laws and legislations has grown during recent years and, in contrast to earlier years when the focus was just on supply and distribution, nowadays, issues like quality controls and environmental effects are receiving attention as well. However, lack of a comprehensive national law and management system as a regulator of different fertilizer system parts is clear now. Assessment of fertilizer system including production, distribution, application, import and export, and related standards shows that “Comprehensive National Law”, “Institution Responsible for Fertilizer Management” and “National Quality Standards for Different Kinds of Fertilizers” are three important missing components in fertilizer management system.