Lower the growth rate! "Water-water combined transport" opens up "efficient road" for spring ploughing fertilizer transportation"

March 10, 2026

Xinhua News Agency

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This paper focuses on the transportation of spring farming materials, and introduces the application innovation of "water-water combined transport" mode in fertilizer logistics. In the past, the transportation of chemical fertilizers along the Yangtze River to the Central Plains had to bypass the tributaries of the Huaihe River, which had problems such as long transportation distance, high cost (up to 158 yuan/ton) and easy delay of agricultural time. With the completion of the waterway of the river diversion project, the route from Zhenjiang Port to Zhoukou Port in Henan Province has been "cut off and straightened", the transportation distance has been shortened by about 400 kilometers, the transportation time has been reduced by nearly a week, and the comprehensive logistics cost has been reduced to 110-115 yuan/ton, a drop of more than 35%. At present, imported potash can be transported directly through Lianyungang via the Huaihe River, or from Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other ports via the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to the Huaihe River to reach the Central Plains, forming an efficient logistics network of "one ship directly to the river and the sea. This change not only significantly reduces logistics costs, improves transportation timeliness, but also enhances the stability of the agricultural supply chain and provides a reliable guarantee for spring farming production.

　　Currently, the curtain has been raised on spring plowing and preparation. Recently, nearly 20,000 tons of potash fertilizer arrived at Zhenjiang Port in Jiangsu. This batch of fertilizer imported by China Agricultural Production Materials Group Co., Ltd. reaches the fields through "water-water intermodal transport," supplying customers around and along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, injecting new momentum into spring plowing and preparation.

　　It is understood that, taking the Central Plains region as an example, in the past, agricultural materials along the Yangtze River often needed to detour through tributaries of the Huai River to reach this region, resulting in long transport distances and slow efficiency. If farmers and distributors in places like Zhoukou, Henan, directly picked up goods from Zhenjiang Port and transported them back, the comprehensive logistics cost could reach up to 158 yuan/ton, and transportation delays could easily affect farming timing.

　　With the completion of the Jiang-Huai Water Diversion Project channel, this situation has changed. The waterway from Zhenjiang Port to Zhoukou Port has been straightened, shortening the transport distance by about 400 kilometers, reducing transport time by nearly a week, and cutting freight costs by more than 35%.

　　Mai Kui, general manager of the Henan branch of China Agricultural Group Holdings Co., Ltd., introduced that "water-water intermodal transport" relies on full ship transfer, and the comprehensive logistics cost is now controlled at 110 to 115 yuan/ton.

　　It is introduced that now, imported potash fertilizer can efficiently reach the Central Plains through dual routes: it can be directly transported from sea ports like Lianyungang via the Huai River, or transferred from ports like Nanjing and Zhenjiang along the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal into the Huai River to reach Henan. The logistics pattern of "one ship direct, connecting rivers and seas" makes agricultural material transportation more efficient and stable. (Reporter Han Jia Nuo)

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