Fertiliser use skewed towards nitrogen, urea lowering yields
A CACP report highlights imbalanced fertiliser subsidies in India, leading to lower yields and soil nutrient deficiencies, impacting food security.
Fertiliser subsidies and their use remain highly skewed towards nitrogen or urea, making agricultural chemicals less effective and stagnating yields, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has said in a new report amid a government push to ramp up output to cut imports.
Analysts have long held that lopsided pricing has led to soil nutrient imbalances as a result of over-use of urea because it is cheaper relative to phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) and so-called complex fertilisers.
Lower yields are one of the reasons India has to depend on overseas markets for pulses and oilseeds. Lower efficiency, meaning more chemicals are needed for achieving the same level of output, is concerning, the CACP report for the upcoming winter-sown season said.
Modern technologies like drones and fertigation are also being leveraged to enhance fertiliser application efficiency. “However, despite these efforts, the declining fertiliser response ratio remains a concern,” the report added.
Another pressing issue is loss of soil organic carbon content resulting in continuous depletion of soil fertility and lower yields, the CACP, a body that fixes minimum support prices, said in its report.
“Micronutrient deficiencies are becoming more prevalent in the country and on an average 43% soils are deficient in Zinc, 12.1% in Iron, 5.4% in Copper, 5.6% in Manganese and 18.3% in Boron,” it said.
Food security of the world’s most populous nation is closely linked to the availability of fertilisers. The government subsidises a range of fertilisers to farmers through manufacturers and importers, who sell crop nutrients at a discount to millions of cultivators through internet-enabled outlets. These firms are then reimbursed by the government. Urea accounts for about 70% of the overall fertiliser subsidy bill.
India aims to end urea imports when five new plants start production. Plants at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Ramagundam in Telangana and at Talcher (Odisha), Barauni (Bihar) and Sindri (Jharkhand) are slated to together produce 6.5 million tonnes of urea every year.
