Context

With the fact that India has become one of the fastest growing economies of the World, it has invested in almost all sectors including the Organic fertilizers. India has a huge potential of Organic fertilisers and can edge in the field than other developing Countries.

So, let us see what India’s potential is and how it can help it to grow sustainable future in Agriculture.

About

What are Organic Fertilizers?

• Organic fertilizers are fertilizers that are naturally produced.Fertilizers are materials that can be added to soil or plants, in order to provide nutrients and sustain growth.
• Typical organic fertilizers include all animal waste including meat processing waste, manure, slurry, and guano; plus plant based fertilizers such as compost; and bio-solids.
• Inorganic "organic fertilizers" include minerals and ash.
  • For Example: The main organic fertilizers are, peat, animal wastes, plant wastes from agriculture, and treated sewage sludge.

Types of Organic Fertilizers:

• Organic fertiliser can be categorised into two segments, according to government rules:
  • Bio-fertiliser: Bio-fertilisers are composed of living microorganisms attached to solid or liquid carriers and are useful for cultivable land, as these micro-organisms help in increasing the productivity of soil and / or crops.
  • Organic manure: It refers to partially decomposed organic matter like digestate from biogas plant, compost and vermin compost, which provides nutrients to the soil / crops and improves yield.

India’s potential:

• India produces more than 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW), based on estimated MSW generation data from the National Solid Waste Association of India and the Central Pollution Control Board. 
• Considering collection efficiency of 80 per cent and organic part of MSW to be 50 per cent, total organic waste generated per day in India comes to around 65,000 tonnes per day.
• Even if half of this is diverted to the biogas industry, the government can leverage this by reduction in import of fossils and fertilisers. 
• Biogas/gobar gas plants can produce biogas and also organic fertilisers.
• There is also great value in the organic fertiliser also known as digestate, which is the biogas plant's effluent. 
• Biogas can be utilised for heating, electricity and even vehicular purposes (after upgrading), whereas digestate can help realise the vision to have a second green revolution. 

Benefits of Organic fertilizers

Challenges associated

Boost both nutrient efficiency and organic matter content in the soil; nurture the soil with organic matter that reduces dependency on chemical inputs; restore and maintain soil fertility to nurture plant growth; enhance the biological activity and biodiversity of soils; enhance the quality attributes of produce as well as yield; improve the efficiency of nutrient use to produce more robust crops; facilitate the slow release of nutrients in response to the dynamic needs of plants; boost the efficiency of water use to render crops more resilient and drought-resistant; Reduce the impact of farming and safeguard ecosystems by minimizing leaching. Enhance crop resistance to erosion by improving the soil’s organic matter content. Improve the efficiency of resource use by incorporating natural raw materials.

Organic food is more expensive because farmers do not get as much out of their land as conventional farmers do. Production costs are higher because farmers need more workers. Marketing and distribution is not efficient because organic fertilizers can be produced in smaller amounts as required. Organic farmers does not have sufficient knowledge and skills about localized soil systems, meteorology, ecology, and other factors that influence crop growth. Without the proper knowledge, an individual organic farmer will be unable to protect his crop in critical stages that may arise while farming processes. The crops are easily susceptible to illness that may slow down production. Organic farms have to go through tough certification processes.

How do organic-based fertilizers contribute to sustainability?

• Smart growth – for an economy based on research, knowledge and innovation.
• Sustainable growth – for a resource-efficient, greener and more competitive economy.
• Inclusive growth – for a high-employment economy with social and territorial cohesion.
• The organic-based fertilizers industry generates local employment opportunities and regional economic development across both rural and urban areas, nurturing more vibrant manufacturing and farming communities.

Few Government Initiatives promoting Organic Fertilizer:

• ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana (PKVY): Cluster formation, training, certification and marketing are supported under the scheme to a farmer towards organic inputs.
• Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification