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Few things illustrate China’s modern agricultural story better than fertilizer. Back in the 1960s, when food security was a national obsession, fertilizer use per hectare was barely a blip on the chart—just a sprinkle. By the 1980s, as reforms unleashed productivity, Chinese farmers were practically showering their fields with nitrogen, potash, and phosphate. Fertilizer wasn’t just an input; it was Beijing’s magic bullet to feed a billion mouths.