Sales and Use of Inorganic Fertilisers
Salient Points
- The quantity of inorganic fertilisers sold in 2024 was 981,869 kilogrammes. Sales quantities in 2022 and 2023 amounted to 1,674,212 kilogrammes and 1,210,683 kilogrammes respectively.
- The quantity of inorganic fertiliser use in 2024 amounted to 970,394 kilogrammes.
- The agricultural area that was found to be treated with inorganic fertilisers was 3,796.6 hectares (ha), equivalent to 39.2 per cent of the total utilised agricultural area, i.e. 9,691.2 ha.
1.0 Introduction
As part of the Statistics on Agricultural Input and Output (SAIO) Regulation (EU) 2022/2379, Member States will be required to report the quantity of nutrients from inorganic fertilisers used on an annual basis and the absolute input prices of specific fertilisers. In view of these requirements the National Statistics Office carried out a project, that was partly financed through an EU grant under the project related to Modernisation of Agricultural Statistics, in order to set up a new statistical system through which the following datasets were collected:
- The list of inorganic fertilisers that were placed on the market
- The annual quantity and the respective average price of inorganic fertilisers, by their nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K) content.
- The total annual use of inorganic fertilisers, by N-P-K and by utilised agricultural area fertilised.
The datasets related to the sales of inorganic fertiliser were collected through an online Census that was required to be completed by the operators in the fertilisers importation and sales sector. Fertiliser sales data was collected for reference years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Respondents were required to provide the sales of inorganic fertilisers by year, by fertiliser classified by N-P-K and by unit weight. For each kind of fertiliser, the quantity sold, average sale price and quantity used for own consumption were collected.
Prior to the actual data collection process, an exercise which consisted in identifying the importers of fertilisers in Malta was carried out, since such a list was not readily available. By analysing data on imports of fertilisers, i.e. Chapter 31 of the Harmonised System (HS) classification, the importers were identified. Additionally, this list was refined by identifying the main activity of the listed importers based on the statistical business register, thereby the importers within scope of this project were identified.
For the use of inorganic fertilisers, data collection was carried out through face-to-face interviews with the selected agricultural holdings using Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI). Fertiliser use data was collected for reference year 2024.
This survey captured the types and quantities of inorganic fertilisers applied to the holding’s agricultural land during the reference period. The farmers were asked to distinguish each product by N-P-K value and provide the name of the product where possible. For each different product applied, the farmers were required to provide the proportion of the inorganic fertiliser which was purchased before 2024. Farmers were also asked to provide the total agricultural area that was utilised and the area thereof that was fertilised with inorganic fertilisers, together with the retailer or source from where the products were procured.
2.0 Results
2.1 Inorganic Fertiliser Sales
In 2024, the quantity of inorganic fertilisers sold was 981,869 kilogrammes. For the time period within the scope of this project, sales have shown a decreasing trend, from 1,674,212 kilogrammes recorded in 2022 and 1,210,683 kilogrammes recorded in 2023. On the other hand, imports of inorganic fertilisers in 2024 amounted to 894,360 kilogrammes, slightly higher than the amount imported in 2023, which stood at 842,382 kilogrammes. In contrast, 2022 imports were recorded at 1,989,527 kilogrammes, significantly higher than both ensuing years. These results are displayed in Chart 1 and Table 1.
Chart 1. Inorganic Fertiliser imports and sales in Kg
Table 1. Inorganic fertiliser imports and sales in Kg
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Mean 2022 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | 1,989,527 | 842,382 | 894,360 | 1,242,090 |
| Imports, year-on-year % | - | -57.7 | 6.2 | - |
| Sales | 1,674,212 | 1,210,683 | 981,869 | 1,288,921 |
| Sales, year-on-year % | - | -27.7 | -18.9 | - |
For each reference year, the most sold product had an N-P-K ratio of 12-12-17, with the highest sales occurring in 2022 at 433,449 kilogrammes. The quantity of sales by year and by product for the ten most sold inorganic fertilisers is presented in Table 2.
Table 2. The 10 most sold inorganic fertilisers by year and quantity in Kg and as a percentage of the total sales
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N-P-K | Quantity sold |
N-P-K | Quantity sold |
N-P-K | Quantity sold |
| 12-12-17 | 433,449 | 12-12-17 | 355,709 | 12-12-17 | 248,758 |
| 21-0-0 | 374,298 | 21-0-0 | 245,674 | 21-0-0 | 193,407 |
| 46-0-0 | 149,922 | 27-0-0 | 150,371 | 46-0-0 | 104,775 |
| 20-20-20 | 104,149 | 46-0-0 | 132,380 | 20-20-20 | 75,345 |
| 27-0-0 | 83,725 | 20-20-20 | 86,175 | 27-0-0 | 51,550 |
| 34-0-0 | 70,895 | 34-0-0 | 26,495 | 34-0-0 | 39,985 |
| 26-0-0 | 64,185 | 15-5-30 | 18,461 | 26-0-0 | 27,925 |
| 15-5-30 | 45,110 | 10-40-0 | 16,000 | 15-5-30 | 23,575 |
| 13-0-46 | 39,860 | 16-5-30 | 15,000 | 15-0-0 | 17,425 |
| 24-0-0 | 23,625 | 14-54-0 | 13,500 | 13-0-46 | 16,110 |
| Total | 1,389,218 | Total | 1,059,765 | Total | 798,855 |
| % of total sales | 83.0 | % of total sales | 87.5 | % of total sales | 81.4 |
2.2 Inorganic Fertiliser Use
In 2024, farmers applied a total of 970,394 kilogrammes of inorganic fertilisers to their fields. Based on farmers’ declarations on the year of purchase, 742,094 kilogrammes of the 970,394 kilogrammes applied were purchased in 2024. This implies that 76.5% of fertilisers used were purchased during the same year, whereas 23.5% were purchased before 2024. The most utilised fertiliser was that with N-P-K ratio 21-0-0 at 280,437 kilogrammes, followed by 12-12-17 at 267,537 kilogrammes. The list of the ten most used products in 2024 is shown in Table 3 and Chart 2.
Data provided by farmers shows that during the calendar year 2024, a total of 9,691.2 ha of UAA were cultivated. From this area, 3,796.6 ha were treated with inorganic fertilisers. The average weighted quantity of fertiliser applied per hectare of UAA was found to be 75.03 kg/ha. The quantity of fertiliser applied per hectare of land as provided by the farmers is summarized in Chart 3.
In terms of macronutrients, a total of 190,290 kilogrammes of nitrogen, 82,469 kilogrammes of phosphorus and 95,177 kilogrammes of potassium were applied during 2024. Moreover, farmers applied 13.93 kilogrammes of nitrogen, 6.97 kilogrammes of phosphorus and 7.03 kilogrammes of potassium per hectare of utilised agricultural land.
Table 3. The 10 most used inorganic fertilisers by quantity in Kg and as a percentage of the total use: 2024
| Product | Quantity used | Percentage | Cumulative percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-0-0 | 280,437 | 28.9 | 28.9 |
| 12-12-17 | 267,537 | 27.6 | 56.5 |
| 20-20-20 | 114,836 | 11.8 | 68.3 |
| 46-0-0 | 59,106 | 6.1 | 74.4 |
| 26-0-0 | 51,505 | 5.3 | 79.7 |
| 15-5-30 | 40,121 | 4.1 | 83.8 |
| 13-40-13 | 38,017 | 3.9 | 87.8 |
| 34-0-0 | 26,831 | 2.8 | 90.5 |
| 27-0-0 | 22,011 | 2.3 | 92.8 |
| 9-5-11 | 10,001 | 1.0 | 93.8 |
| Other | 59,993 | 6.2 | 100.0 |
| Total | 970,394 | 100 | 100 |
Chart 2. Distribution of inorganic fertiliser use
Chart 3. Frequency distribution: Quantity of fertiliser applied per hectare of utilised agricultural area (kg/ha)
2.3 Comparison between sales and use of fertilisers
In terms of weight, fertilisers sales amounted to 981,869 kilogrammes, whereas use amounted to 970,394 kilogrammes in 2024, with a percentage difference of 1.2%. The fertiliser sales and use quantities can also be compared in terms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium quantities applied as summarised in Table 4.
Table 4. Inorganic fertiliser sales and use by macronutrient in Kg: 2024
| N | P | K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrient Sales | 202,620 | 69,928 | 98,956 |
| Nutrient Use | 190,290 | 82,469 | 95,177 |
| of which purchased in 2024 | 148,839 | 62,096 | 72,503 |
The nutrient use which was also purchased in 2024 was equivalent to 78.2%, 75.3% and 76.2% of the total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium used in the same year. This implies that 21.8%, 24.7% and 23.8% of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium used in 2024 were actually taken from the holding’s stock.
Methodological Notes
- The National Statistics Office (NSO) is responsible for collecting, processing, and publishing agricultural statistics in line with national and European legal frameworks. Under the Malta Statistics Authority Act (Cap. 422), the NSO is authorised to produce official statistics on key areas, including agriculture, ensuring accurate and accessible data for policymakers. It also aligns with European Union regulations, such as Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009 and the European Statistics Code of Practice, maintaining methodological consistency across Member States. This dual framework enables Malta’s agricultural statistics to serve both national and EU-wide needs, supporting evidence-based decision-making and international comparability.
- As part of this project, the process of updating the statistical farm register was carried out. The statistical farm register is the register containing the population of agricultural holdings in Malta and Gozo. This was done by analysing administrative data found in registers that are maintained by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal rights. This data, supplemented by previous surveys carried out by NSO, were combined to generate an updated statistical farm register.
- At the time of selection, the statistical farm register consisted of a total of 11,895 agricultural holdings with a total of 10,296 hectares (ha) of utilised agricultural area (UAA). Agricultural holdings having only fallow land and those with a utilised agricultural area of less than 0.224 ha were excluded from the target population. These areas are mainly used for the production of crops for own consumption and are not considered commercial. A total of 3,315 holdings were excluded from the sample, and these holdings had a combined area of 514.3 ha or an average of 0.2 ha per holding. These holdings account for approximately 5% of the total UAA in Malta and Gozo.
- The distribution of the target population of agricultural holdings that were covered by the survey is given in Table 5 below. The crop products were split into five different categories based on whether that product cultivated amounted to 70% or more of the total UAA of the holding.
Table 5. Distribution of holdings by size class of UAA (ha) and type of product
| Type of product | Size class of UAA (ha) | TOTAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≥ 0.224 – < 1 | ≥ 1 – < 3 | ≥ 3 | ||
| Potatoes ≥ 70% | 86 | 29 | 11 | 126 |
| Vegetables ≥ 70% | 126 | 78 | 23 | 227 |
| Fodder ≥ 70% | 1,948 | 925 | 294 | 3,167 |
| Permanent Crops ≥ 70% | 148 | 65 | 16 | 229 |
| Mixed | 3,398 | 1,181 | 252 | 4,831 |
| TOTAL | 5,706 | 2,278 | 596 | 8,580 |
| % of Total | 66.50% | 26.60% | 6.90% | 100.00% |
- Definitions:
- Agricultural holding: a single unit, both technically and economically, operating under a single management and which undertakes economic activities in agriculture, either as its primary or secondary activity. The holding may also provide other supplementary (non-agricultural) products and services.
- Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA): hectares of land area used for farming, including arable land, permanent crops, and kitchen gardens.
- Arable Land: hectares of land which is worked (ploughed or tilled) regularly, generally under a system of crop rotation. The area under greenhouses is included under this heading.
- Fallow land: hectares of arable land which is either included in the crop rotation system or maintained in good agricultural and environment condition but which will not be harvested for the duration of a crop year.
- Fodder: hectares of land cultivated for crops such as wheat, barley, clover, etc. intended for animal feed.
- Permanent crops: hectares of land under fruit trees, citrus trees, berry plantations, vineyards, olive trees and other permanent crops used for human consumption.
- Kitchen gardens: hectares of land devoted to the cultivation of agricultural products mainly intended for consumption by the holder and his household.
- Fertiliser: A fertiliser: a natural or artificial substance containing chemical elements (such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K)) that improve growth and productiveness of plants. Some synonyms include the terms “enrichment” or “plant nutrient”.
- Inorganic fertiliser: a fertiliser which is manufactured by a chemical/industrial process or mined as opposed to organic material that contains carbon. They are also called chemical fertilisers, artificial fertilisers or mineral fertilisers.
- References to this statistical insight are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
- For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
