Lok Sabha Question No. 3095 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-13
Subject: Availability and Affordability of Fertilisers
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Shri Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3095 TO BE ANSWERED

ON: 13.12.2024

## Availability and Affordability of Fertilizers

3095: SHRI CHAMALA  KIRAN  KUMAR REDDY :

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps being taken to ensure the availability and affordability of fertilisers for farmers in the country, State/UT-wise, particularly in Telangana in the context of rising prices;
- (b) the  initiatives  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  to  promote  organic  fertilisers  and sustainable practices among farmers in the country;
- (c) the  measures  that  are  being  implemented  to  address  concerns  related  to chemical run off and its impact on soil and water quality; and
- (d) whether  any  study  is  being  conducted  to  assess  the  long-term  effects  of chemical fertilisers on agricultural sustainability, if so, details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS

## (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a): Department of Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DA&FW)  assesses  the requirement for major fertilizers  viz.  UREA,  DAP,  MOP  and  NPKS fertilizers,  before each cropping season (viz. Kharif & Rabi) through 'Zonal Conference for Agricultural Inputs'.    Based  on  the  assessment  done  by  DA&FW,  Department  of  Fertilizers allocates adequate quantities of fertilizers to States, including Telangana, by issuing monthly supply plan and continuously monitors the availability position. These supplies are met through indigenous production as well as imports.

Under Urea Subsidy Scheme, Urea is provided to the farmers at a statutorily notified  Maximum  Retail  Price  (MRP)  irrespective  of  the  cost  of  production.  The subsidized MRP of 45 Kg bag of urea is Rs. 266.50. Further, under Nutrient Based Subsidy  (NBS)  scheme,  the  MRP  of  Phosphatic  &  Potassic  (P&K)  fertilizers  is decontrolled and fixed by fertilizer companies as per market dynamics at reasonable level  which  is  monitored  by  the  Government.  Accordingly,  fertilizers  are  made available to farmers at affordable prices.

(b): Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  promotes  the  sustainable  and balanced  use  of  fertilizers,  by  recommending  soil  test  based  integrated  nutrient management through  conjunctive  use  of  both  inorganic  and  organic  sources.  ICAR develops  both  processes  as  well  as  products  in  order  to  promote  the  use  of  biofertilizers / bio-enriched organic manures. Moreover, pursuant to the Budget Announcement,  2023  and  on  the  recommendations  of  the  Expenditure  Finance Committee (EFC), the Government has approved the Market Development Assistance (MDA)@ Rs. 1500/MT to promote organic fertilizers with total outlay of Rs. 1451.84 Crore (FY 2023-24 to 2025-26), which includes a corpus of Rs. 360 Crore for research gap funding, etc.   These initiatives of the Government  are expected to address the imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers thereby reducing overuse of chemical fertilizers.

(c) & (d): Investigations carried out under All India Coordinated Research Project on 'Long Term Fertilizer Experiments' by ICAR over five decades at fixed sites have indicated that continuous use of nitrogenous fertilizer alone had deleterious effects on soil  health  and  crop  productivity  showing  deficiencies  of  other  major  and  micro nutrients. Even with recommended doses of NPK and more, deficiency of micro and secondary nutrients has become a yield limiting factor over the years. There is also a possibility of nitrate contamination in groundwater above the permissible limit of 10 mg NO3-N/L  due  to  excessive/over-use  of  nitrogenous  fertilizers,  particularly  in  light textured  soils  that  has  consequences  on  human/animal  health  if  used  for  drinking purposes.

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