Balanced Fertilisation

An increasingly important policy goal for the government is balanced fertilization, which tries to discourage farmers from using excessive amounts of urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and muriate of potash (MOP). Optimizing nutrient usage in agriculture is still an issue, despite initiatives like neem coating and nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) schemes.

1. Dimension: Implications of uneven fertilization

Fertilizers are essential to modern agriculture since they greatly boost crop yields. But it has detrimental effects on the environment and human health:

• Soil health: Improper or excessive fertilizer application can upset the soil's natural nutrient balance, resulting in nutrient imbalances and poor soil quality.
• Water contamination: Because inorganic fertilizers are soluble, there is a greater chance that they will seep into groundwater. Nitrates, a type of nitrogen, are especially dangerous since they can contaminate supplies of drinking water.
• Greenhouse Gases: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions can be caused by inorganic fertilizers, especially those that contain urea or ammonium.

2: Dimension-Challenges in controlling excessive usage

• Constant growth: Urea consumption surged to a record 35.8 million tonnes (mt) in the fiscal year ending in March 2024, representing a 16.9% increase from 2013–14 levels. The use of urea is increasing despite interventions like neem coating, raising questions about sustainability.
• Issues with Nutrient-Based Subsidies: The 2010 implementation of the NBS system linked subsidies to nutrient content in an effort to promote balanced fertilization. Despite being successful at first, the removal of urea from NBS reduced its efficacy, which over time caused urea consumption to rise again.
• Issues with Fertilizer Pricing: In recent times, price limitations on fertilizers other than urea have been imposed, which has made nutrient imbalances in the agriculture sector worse. Price differences, especially for DAP and MOP, have encouraged overapplication, which has a negative impact on crop productivity and health.