Hebei Zhongchang Chemical Fertilizer sold ammonium sulfate suspected of criminal offenses.

Shanxi Province’s Xinzhou City Kelan County Market Supervision Bureau investigates the case of Hebei Zhongchang Fertilizer Co., Ltd. selling counterfeit and substandard fertilizers.

On March 21, 2023, the Market Supervision Bureau of Kelan County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, legally transferred the case of Hebei Zhongchang Fertilizer Co., Ltd. selling counterfeit and substandard fertilizers to the public security authorities.

On February 20, 2023, based on public reports, the Market Supervision Bureau of Kelan County conducted an inspection of the fertilizer promotion and sales activities of Hebei Zhongchang Fertilizer Co., Ltd. in Kelan County. It was found that the fertilizer sold in Kelan County had non-standard labelling. The product was labelled as “Polyenergy Zinc Amino Potassium,” which did not comply with the shown GB/T535-2020 (Type II) (ammonium sulfate)standard, and it did not have the industrial product production license number indicated. The fertilizer samples collected and tested by the Comprehensive Inspection Center of Xinzhou City were found to be substandard. The actions of the company violated Article 34 of the “Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China” and are suspected of constituting a crime. The Market Supervision Bureau of Kelan County transferred the case to the police for further handling and also demanded that the manufacturing company provide full compensation to farmers who purchased this brand of fertilizer.

The presence of substandard fertilizer products in the market will have adverse effects on agricultural production. The timely investigation and handling of this case effectively prevented harm to farmers and deterred illegal activities, thereby promoting a safe and trustworthy fertilizer market environment.