'Fertilising the Future': Mansukh Mandaviya’s book traces India’s march towards fertiliser self-sufficiency

New Delhi: From fertiliser shortage, its black marketing and capacity constraints earlier, to the current situation of adequate supplies, farmers’ empowerment and technological innovations like 'Nano Urea', India has come a long way.

This march towards fertiliser self-sufficiency forms the theme of the book penned by Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya, titled "Fertilising the Future".

The book delves into the importance of the fertiliser sector that is one of the most critical components for improving agricultural productivity, raising farm incomes and ensuring food security for 1.5 billion Indians.

It notes that even though India ranks second in the world in terms of fertiliser production, it is also at the second spot globally when it comes to fertiliser imports, imposing a huge burden on the exchequer.

Mandaviya writes that in line with the Modi government's commitment to farmers’ welfare, it has ensured that the agriculture sector is shielded from external shocks.

Even in the aftermath of Covid-19 and the Ukraine war, when prices of fertilisers shot up globally and India was importing urea at Rs 75-80 per kg, farmers were being supplied the commodity only at Rs 5-6 per kg, entailing a subsidy spend of around Rs 2.5 lakh crore a year, he highlights.

The book chronicles the Modi government's initiatives towards ensuring reduced dependency on imports, increasing capacity and developing infrastructure to help farmers such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendra (PMKSK).

“Overall, PMKSKs will pave way for prosperity of farmers. More than 1.6 lakh existing fertilizer sales centres have been converted into Model Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendra by September 17, 2023,” Mandaviya writes.

The book mentions that it is not just distribution, but the government is also streamlining the product offerings in the fertiliser sector.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the book, Mandaviya has highlighted farmers' distress of choosing quality fertiliser due to different names and prices set by private companies.

“Until now, companies used to promote their brands of fertilisers through campaigns and offer maximum commission to those selling their brands of fertilisers...As a result, the farmers were under distress to get the quality fertilisers according to their needs due to competition, different names and because of the arbitrariness of the agents selling fertilisers,” Modi said in a speech, as quoted in the book.

To overcome this challenge, the prime minister on October 17, 2022 launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan-Urvarak Pariyojana (PMBJP) – “One Nation, One Fertiliser” scheme, the book mentions.

Under this initiative, fertilisers of different companies are being sold across the country under a single brand – “Bharat”.

The book touches upon how the government has also freed the fertiliser sector of legacy problems.

"Earlier, diversion of subsidised urea for industrial purposes was a common occurrence in the country. To tackle this, the Modi government implemented the decision of neem coating urea," Mandaviya writes in the book.

The Centre also restarted production at the country’s five largest urea factories, including in Ramagundam (Telangana), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Sindri (Jharkhand).

Mandaviya notes in the book that one of the most important interventions towards attaining self-sufficiency in fertilisers is the technological innovation of Nano Urea, developed by the Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Limited (IFFCO).

A half litre bottle of Nano Urea can replace a 45-kg bag of urea.

"India has also created history by developing Nano DAP. Nano urea and DAP also cost less than their conventional counterparts and give better yield, proving to be a win-win for farmers," Mandaviya points out.

The book also delves into how technology and government reforms are transforming the fertiliser sector.

With an aim of correcting the fiscal imbalances in the sector, the Centre in 2017 started Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the fertiliser industry through Point of Sale (POS) machines in which subsidy is transferred to fertiliser companies.

Mandaviya also highlights in the book how different ministries, including agriculture, railways, shipping and external affairs, as well as other stakeholders worked together to achieve the gargantuan task of transforming India’s fertiliser industry.