ISTAT has made available the main results of its survey, with reference to 2010, of the distribution of fertilisers for agricultural use.
The survey is a census survey and regards all enterprises which distribute such products in Italy under their own or foreign brands. For each type of fertiliser the survey records both the quantity of nutrient elements as set out in by current legislation, and the entire nutrient contents declared by the company which distributes it. Fertilisers distributed for non-agricultural use, i.e. those intended for home or hobby use or for the manufacture of other industrial products (paints, explosives, etc.), are excluded from the survey.
In general, the distribution of fertilisers depends mainly on the type of agriculture practiced, on crop rotation, on the individual species and varieties grown, on the physical-chemical properties of the soil, and on market trends, as well as on the choices made by the farmer in setting out the business fertilisation plan.