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.
Denne historien er fra June 01, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra June 01, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
