Definition of Fertilizer Bags
Exploring durable and dependable fertilizer bags is necessary for packaging, transporting, and storing fertilizers, particularly in enterprises where profit-making is the main goal of the business.
Individuals in the fertilizer production industries such as producers, suppliers, and farmers require long-lasting packaging material for adequate storage and handling.
Fertilizer bags refer to materials made of cotton, paper, and polyethylene bags used for storing, packaging, and transporting fertilizers.
Handling bulk fertilizers with poorly designed bags is challenging because most fertilizers absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
The moisture absorption tendencies of hygroscopic natural fertilizers pose different challenges for commercial storage and handling by the authors in the industries.
The supply chain of fertilizer is very long i.e. the process before getting to the final consumers is very strenuous due to uploading and offloading, so may require properly packaged materials to retain quality.
Extreme weather conditions will lead to destruction and waste of fertilizer. Finely designed fertilizer bags should have a strong tendency to prevent fertilizers from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere and prevent losses.
Industrially manufactured fertilizers can easily cake if they are poorly packaged and stored. Moisture-resistant fertilizer bags will provide better anti-caking protection due to their airproof nature.
Why Shopping for Durable and Dependable Fertilizer Bags Should Be Your Top Priority.
The success of every fertilizer business lies in the choice of packaging bags used for packaging fertilizers.
In the market, emphasis is placed on smoothness and cake-free fertilizer quality. Some of the reasons you should shop for the durable and dependable Fertilizer Bags are:
Moisture Resistance
The choice of fertilizer bags for packaging should be such that it can prevent fertilizers from absorbing moisture from the environment.
Fertilizers are produced to be water soluble, which is the ability to dissolve easily with water. If poorly crafted bags are used for packaging fertilizer the tendency to clumps and cake is very high leading to loss of quality and waste of resources.
Stakeholders in the fertilizer industries (producers, suppliers, and farmers) often complain of the hygroscopic or deliquescence nature of fertilizers leading to losses of quality and making producers run into different damages.
Fertilizer Society Organisation opined that a single layer of water molecules can adsorb water into the granule, pellet, and powered fertilizer build-up and dissolve the fertilizer structure.
To prevent the fertilizer from absorbing water from the atmosphere, and losing quality good packaging bags is paramount.
Prevent Chemical Reaction
Synthetic fertilizers are chemically produced in the industries. This chemical can be highly reactive and corrosive.
Imagine if metal materials are used to preserve such a reactive and corrosive substance like the synthetic fertilizer.
The types of fertilizer bags to be used to preserve and package reactive and corrective fertilizers should be strong, to be able to protect and maintain the quality fertilizers.
Water speed up the rate of chemical reactions, so if fertilizer is exposed to water due to inadequate packaging materials it may lead to the destruction of package fertilizers.
Ease of Handling and Transportation
Fertilizers are usually very heavy and bulky, they need durable bags to be able to withstand rough use.
Transporting fertilizers from one location to another involves a lot of rough handling, such as offloading, and unloading, if the bags used for the packaging are not durable enough to withstand such rough usage, it may lead to tearing and breaking of the bags.
In a large commercial fertilizer store or warehouse where fertilizers are packed on each other if the fertilizer bags are not tough, it may result in tearing and spilling resulting in wastage resources.
Weather Condition
High relative humidity and high rainfall will lead to the absorption of water by the fertilizer which will eventually lead to caking and wasting.
More so, high temperatures will expose fertilizer to ultra-violent rays leading to degradation. Fertilizers require strong packaging materials to be able to withstand adverse weather conditions.
Transportation, application of fertilizer on the farm, and storage during the rainy, spring, and winter seasons have various impacts on fertilizers. If fertilizer bags in this period are not water resistant it will lead to water absorption, wastage, and loss of quality.
Ability to Withstand Puncture and Spilling
Fertilizers are made of various sizes and shapes, some are made of powder, granular, and pelleted which can be spilled if not well packaged.
Fertilizer with fine particles or powder form can easily escape during transportation therefore a well-crafted fertilizer bag is necessary for packaging to avoid dusting and spilling during storage and handling.
Read Also: Top 6 Best Liquid Fertilizers for Pasture Management That Will Amaze You
Smart Types of Fertilizer Bags Commonly Used in the Fertilizer Industries.
Due to the corrosive and harmful nature of synthetic fertilizer to man and the environment, it is necessary to pick high-quality fertilizer packaging materials that are durable and able to prevent fertilizers from clumping and caking up.
The smart fertilizer bags used in industries for packing fertilize are arranged in order of their quality from the highest to lowest, they are:
Polypropylene Woven Bags
From transportation to storage, polypropylene woven bag is the best choice of fertilizer bags to minimize dusting and spillage.
The PP woven bags are made of polypropylene tape or materials intertwined or interweaving together in a horizontal and vertical pattern. Polypropylene woven bags are the most popular type of bags used for packaging fertilizers.
The PP woven bags exist in two forms laminated and unlaminated polypropylene woven bags. The lamination gives the bags extra strength and prevents the bags from absorbing moisture.
Whether laminated or unlaminated, the PP woven bags can be easily customized to suit manufacturers or producers, brands, and identification.
Unlike PE bags, PP woven bags are designed in various capacities and sizes such as 2kg, 10kg 25kg 50kg, and 100 kg, depending on the size and capacity required by the producers or manufacturer.
The PP woven bags are sealed when products have been fully packed in the bags and sealed by sewing with the machine in the industries.
Pros of Polyethylene Bags
The positive aspects of this bag compared to other packaging bags are:
- they are strong and durable compared to other bags.
- They are tough, breathable, and suitable for packaging all types of fertilizers.
- They are cost-effective fertilizer bags
- The bags are aerated which allows the free flow of gases from the bags without swelling of the bag.
- The PP woven bags are treated with ultra-violent ray properties that prevent fertilizer exposure to sunlight.
- They are highly resistant to chemicals which makes them suitable for packaging a wide range of synthetic fertilizers.
Cons of the Polyethylene Woven Bags
The negative aspects of the PP woven bags are.
- They are prone to external environmental factors, such as adverse weather conditions, and pests.
- The unlaminated PP woven bags allow moisture, and contaminants to enter the bag, if not well handled.
- The PP unlaminated woven bags lead to dusting and breakage, which lead to waste during transportation.
- The bag requires a dry and clean environment to avoid caking and dumping
Polyethylene Bags
These are packaging materials made from the polyethylene plastic material used for packaging, storing, and transporting fertilizers. It is one of the most popular packaging material designs for the storage of fertilizers after the PP woven bags.
These types of well-designed bags are made up of different quality and thicknesses such as low-density, linear low-density, and high-density polyethylene bags.
PE bag is manufactured in such a way that it can be customized to suit manufacturers, suppliers, and consumers’ demands.
Due to the durability nature of the PE bags, they can be used for packaging granular, pelleted, and powdered fertilizers.
The highly technologically manufactured bags come in different densities and capacities, producers or manufacturers should place a demand according to the type of polyethylene bags required for the effective packaging of their fertilizers.
Some PE has sealable mechanisms that allow for hand sealing and others used in the industries for packaging fertilizer are electronic sealed. The products are packed in the bags until the required kilogram (KG) is achieved and sealed automatically.
Pros of Polyethylene Bags
The demand for Polyethylene bags has increased due to the following reasons.
- they are easy and efficient to produce.
- they are both waterproof and dustproof.
- they are best suited for powdered fertilizer (i.e. liming fertilizer)
- they have low transportation costs compared to PP woven bags
- the PE is light and storage-efficient
- They are very easy to handle
- The bags can resist external factors such as rain and sun.
Cons Polyethylene Bags
Some of the negative aspects of PE bags that may limit their usage are:
- they possess weak penetration ability which can easily be destroyed by sharp objects during transportation, loading, and unloading
- they require careful handling because the polyethylene bags can be busted and spill contents when they hit the ground.
Bulk Bags or Flexible intermediate bulk bags
From small polypropylene woven bags to large polypropylene woven Bags, Bulk bags are large bags used for transporting and storing large quantities of fertilizer in industries. the bags are designed with various capacities and sizes but are usually heavy-duty fertilizer bags.
Flexible intermediate bulk bags like PP woven fertilizer bags are made of polypropylene tape or materials interweaving together in a crosshatch pattern.
Some of the Flexible intermediate bulk bags are coated with aluminum foil, plastic film, and fiber. They are the most commonly used bags in agriculture after the PP woven bags in the package of large agricultural produce.
Pros of the Bulk Bags or Flexible Intermediate Bulk Bags
The good aspects of the Bulk feed bags are:
- The bags are suitable for storing and transporting large quantities of fertilizers.
- They are suitable for storing all types of fertilizers.
- They are used for storing fertilizers for a long period in the industries before retail packaging.
- Since they are bulky it helps to minimize frequent refills in the industries.
- They are resistant to caking and clumping due to the free flow of air.
Cons of the Bulk Bags
Some of the negative aspects of this packaging material are:
- They are difficult to handle since they are very bulky.
- It is not biodegradable i.e. not easily recycled, like paper feed bags.
- They are prone to rodents’ destruction.
- They are not water resistant, i.e. they can be destroyed by rain or relative humidity
Kraft Paper Bag
These are packaging bags designed or constructed from pulp wood, they consist of multiple papers arranged in a single Paper bag.
There are various types of kraft bags. Some of these bags are designed with sturdy paper while others are constructed with polyethylene coated, plastic film, and foil material inside the bag which helps to prevent fertilizer from absorbing moisture.
These innovatively design bags come in open-top, bottom-closed, open-top, and bottom designs with pieces of fabric and velvet types.
The flat top open, bottom closed, gusset top open, bottom design with pieces of fabric is usually used for packing fertilizer in the factories and on the farm during application. The velvet type (usually in the form cube) is used for packaging large materials such as fertilizer in industries.
The two types of kraft bags have twisted handles while the other (the velvet) usually swells when loaded. These fertilizer bags usually come in brown.
Pros of Kraft Bags Bags
The following are the merits of these types of bags:
- They can be customized to suit producers’ and suppliers’ identities.
- They are highly elastic and tear-resistant.
- They are very durable and very strong.
- They are dust-resistant.
- The plastic film, foil, or polyethylene protects bags from water and or rodent
- They are ecofriendly
- Easily recycles and biodegradable
Cons of kraft bags
- Since they are made of paper, they are usually prone to water effect
- The inner coated polyethylene or film can easily tear leading to spilling of fertilizer.
Read Also: Pasture Fertilizer: A Complete Guide for Pasture Management
Frequently Ask Questions
What are fertilizer bags?
Fertilizer bags are bags made of cotton, paper, and polyethylene bags used for storing, packaging, and transporting fertilizers.
There are different types of bags used for packaging fertilizers. The success of the fertilizer business depends on the nature of packaging materials used for storing and transporting fertilizers.
Fertilizers are deliquesced or hygroscopic with their ability to absorb water from the atmosphere.
Some types of bags used in packaging, storing, and transporting fertilizers are Polypropylene Woven Bags. Polyethylene bags, Bulk bags, kraft bags bags
Which NPK fertilizer is best in Nigeria?
There are no types of NPK fertilizers described as best in Nigeria. The choice of fertilizer for your crops depends on the nutrients that are lacking in your farmland or that are required by your crops.
Before applying fertilizers it is necessary to conduct a soil test to determine which nutrients are lacking in the soil.
Another method used to determine nutrient deficiency is leaves or foliar observation, if the leaves are manifesting certain nutrient deficiency symptoms, then one can consider the application of fertilizers.
However, to avoid doubt on the types of NPK fertilizer that is the best for your crop you can use NKP 15:15:15, that is to say, you are applying an equal amount of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and potassium (k).
The reason for the choice of NPK 15:15:15 is because of the frequent bush burning, continuous cropping, and minimum tillage practices adopted in most of the country.
Due to continuous cropping, nitrogen is usually lacking in Nigerian soil, while phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are also deficient. As an alternative, NPK 20:10:10 can be used.
How much is a 50kg bag of fertilizer in Nigeria?
The price of fertilizers in Nigeria is not static, it varies from time to time, market force, and inflation rate. For now, the price of fertilizer has been on the increase but as of today the price of fertilizers is
| s/no | Types of Fertilizer | Grade | Model | Price | Dollars |
| 1 | NPK | 15.15.15 | ben cut | #15,000 | $15 |
| 2 | NPK | 15.15.15 | Waco Products | #34,000 | $ 34 |
| 3 | NPK | 15.15.15+10.2s | Golden Fertilizer | #32,000 | $32 |
| 4 | NPK | 20.10.10 | Matrix Fertilizer | #26,700 | $26 |
| 5 | NPK | 20.10.10 | Golden Fertilizer | # 15000-28000 | $15-28 |
| 6 | NPK | 20.10.10 | Tak agro | #26,000 | $26 |
| 7 | NPK | 20:15:15 | Master Chem Products | #15,000 | $15 |
| 8 | Urea | Ndorama | #25,000-33,000 | $25 | |
| 9 | Urea | Dangote | #24,000 | $24 | |
| 10 | Diamoniun Phosphate | #30,000 | $30 | ||
| 11 | Monopotasium phosphate | #80,000 | $80 | ||
| 12 | Manisum suphur | Master Chem Products | #25,000 | $25 | |
| 13 | Calcium nitrate | #26,000 | $26 | ||
| 14 | Single super phosphate | Master Chem Products | #28,000 | $28 |
Visit jiji. ng to purchase your fertilizer
What is the cost of a bag of fertilizer?
The cost of fertilizer bags varies from one country to another in Nigeria the price ranges from # 15000- 80,000. In India, the price is ₹47.1 per kg for nitrogen, ₹20.80 per kg for phosphorus ( ₹67.91), ₹2.40 per kg for potash ( ₹24.66), and ₹1.90 for sulphur (6.12).
While in the United States of America, fertilizer costs are $175 per acre to $247 per acre. To get the latest cost of fertilizer in your country please visit amazon.com
What do the numbers on fertilizer bags mean?
The numbers on the fertilizers refer to the amount of active ingredients present in the fertilizer.
The active ingredient in this context is the chemical nutrient elements present in the fertilizer that are required to treat or cure the deficiency symptom manifesting in crops or lacking in the soil.
For example, NKP 15:15:15 shows that the active ingredients present in the fertilizer are 15 % Nitrogen (N), 15% Phosphorus (P), and 15% potassium (k).
In conclusion
Good packaging bags remain the best choice for the success of every fertilizer industry. We have vividly listed the fertilizer bags that are durable for packaging fertilizers in order of their quality from the highest to lowest.