China will import four million tons of chemical fertilizer this year while ensuring prices remain low for farmers, said Li Shenglin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Tuesday.

China will consume 51 million tons of chemical fertilizer this year at a 5.6 percent increase year-on-year, while its own chemical fertilizer production is expected to be around 47 million tons, he said at a national teleconference on improving supervision over farming material.

"We'll take all necessary measures to guarantee chemical fertilizer supply and stabilize the domestic market prices to ensure farmers enjoy policy benefits of the government," he said.

Although chemical fertilizer prices in international markets have been increasing since last year, the Chinese government has managed to keep the domestic prices about 30 percent lower than international prices, he said.

But as prices of energy resources, such as petroleum, coal and electricity and raw material rise, it is difficult to maintain the low price of chemical fertilizer, Li said.

China will check the price increase from the very beginning of production by ensuring producers receive preferential prices for electricity and natural gas, he said.

"To control chemical fertilizer export is also an important way," he said.

China will continue to suspend tax rebates to the export of major chemical fertilizer products such as urea this year, he said.

Statistics from the NDRC showed that chemical fertilizer export dropped by 15.2 percent in the first two months this year.