CALL IT a desperate attempt to reduce the soaring import bills since Russia’s war on Ukraine or to achieve self-reliance in fertiliser production and at the same time reduce environmental pollution and farm input costs, India has become the first country to have developed and roll out nano-fertilisers. Since 2021, it has launched nano-variants of two fertilisers widely used in the country—urea and di-ammonia phosphate (DAP). The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), which has developed the variants using a proprietary technology, claims that nano-urea and nano-DAP have several advantages over their conventional granular counterparts. The government is promoting the products, saying they can boost soil health as well as farmers’ income. Farmers, however, are not convinced.
Both nano-urea and nano-DAP come in liquid forms. IFFCO claims that a 500-mililitre bottle of nano-urea can replace at least a 45-kg bag of granular urea and a bottle of 500 ml nano-dap can replace a 50 kg bag of granular DAP. While nano-urea has been made available to farmers since late 2021, nano-dap was launched in April 2023. While launching nano-DAP, Union home minister Amit Shah said that as of March 2023, the country manufactured 63 million bottles of nano-urea. As a result, import of urea reduced by 0.7 million tonnes in 2021-22. The goal is now to reduce the usage of granular dap by 9 million tonnes through nano-DAP.
This story is from the June 01, 2023 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 01, 2023 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE