Why is it in the news?

• The government post-Lok Sabha polls is likely to prioritize balanced fertilisation to address worsening plant nutrient imbalances, focusing on capping urea and DAP consumption.

More about the news

• Urea consumption reached a record high of 8 million tonnes in the fiscal year ending March 2024, indicating the need for intervention to regulate its usage.
• Despite the introduction of neem coating to prevent illegal diversion of urea and enhance nitrogen use efficiency, consumption continued to rise, indicating the need for additional measures.
• The Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) system, introduced in 2010, aimed to promote balanced fertilisation by linking subsidies to nutrient content. However, the exclusion of urea from this system contributed to its continued dominance in the market.

Challenges with Current Consumption Patterns:

• The disproportionate consumption of urea and DAP has led to nutrient imbalances, affecting soil health and crop productivity.
• The recent formalisation of price controls on non-urea fertilisers has exacerbated nutrient imbalances, highlighting the need for proper price hierarchy among fertilisers to promote balanced usage.
• The current pricing structure does not incentivise the use of potash-containing fertilisers, leading to deficiencies in potassium, which is crucial for crop immunity and nitrogen uptake.
• India’s heavy dependence on imported fertilisers increases foreign exchange outflows and subsidy burdens, necessitating measures to enhance domestic production and reduce import reliance.

Conclusion

• The recent decline in global fertiliser prices presents an opportunity for the government to rationalise domestic pricing and promote balanced plant nutrition through subsidy adjustments.
• Initiatives such as the launch of sulphur-coated urea demonstrate the government’s commitment to promoting innovation in fertiliser technology to improve nutrient efficiency and support balanced fertilisation practices.