Lok Sabha Question No. 3853 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-21
Subject: Excessive Use of Fertilizers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: N.K. Premachandran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3853

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 21 ST  DECEMBER, 2021

## EXCESSIVE USE OF FERTILIZERS

3853. SHRI N. K. PREMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  analysed  issues  regarding  the  excessive  use  of fertilizers, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  control  and  regulate  the  use  of  fertilizers considering the damage to the soil due to the excessive use and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes to prepare block-wise soil health data and if so, the details of action taken thereon; (d) whether the Government proposes to prepare a data bank for fertilizers and if so, the details of action taken thereon; (e) whether the Government proposes to ban or control the use of fertilizers considering the nature of soil and if so, the details of the action taken thereon; and whether the Government proposes to withdraw fertilizer subsidy and if so, the details

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) to (e) : In order to avoid excessive use and to promote balanced and integrated use of  fertilizers,  Soil  health  card  Scheme  had  been  introduced  in  2015  to  assist  State Governments to issue Soil health cards to farmers in the country. Soil health card provides information  to  farmers  on  nutrient  status  of  their  soil  along  with  recommendation  on appropriate  dosage  of  nutrients  to  be  applied  for  improving  soil  health  and  its  fertility. Possibility of excessive use of fertilisers generally arises when it is applied without proper assessment  of  nutrient  requirement  of  crop,  contribution  from  soil  and  other  sources,
- (f) thereon?

nutrient use efficiency of the fertiliser, availability of assured irrigation, mode, method and time  of  applications  and  policy.  The  Government  of  India is  suggesting  soil  test  based balanced and integrated nutrient management through conjunctive use  of both  inorganic and  organic  sources  (manure,  biofertilizers  etc.)  of  plant  nutrients  for  judicious  use  of fertilisers and to improve soil health and fertility. In addition, split application and placement of fertilisers, use of slow releasing fertilisers, fertigation, growing leguminous crops and use of  Resource  Conservation  Technologies  (RCTs)  are  also  suggested.  The  ICAR  also imparts training, organises FLDs etc. to educate farmers on all these aspects as and when required.

Soil health data is available on soil health card portal (https://www.soilhealth.dac.gov.in/)  which  is  uploaded  by  States  upto  farm  land  holding level in villages.

GOI has also developed an IT enabled system viz., Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS),  which  captures  end  to  end  details  of  Fertilizer  in  terms  of Production, Movement,  availability at dealer level, requirement, Sale, Subsidy Bill Generation to Subsidy payment to fertilizer companies. The iFMS system can be accessed at http://mfms.nic.in/.

(f): There is no proposal to withdraw fertilizer subsidy.

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