The main objective of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) Division is to ensure adequate availability of quality fertilisers to farmers through periodical demand assessment and timely supply, promoting integrated nutrient management, which is soil test based, judicious and balanced use of chemical fertilisers in conjunction with organic manures and bio-fertilisers, promotion of organic farming and ensuring quality control of fertilisers through implementation of Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985.
India is the third largest producer and consumer of fertilisers in the world after China and the USA. Against 18.4 million tonnes of fertiliser nutrients (NPK) consumed during 2004-05, the nutrient consumption is estimated at 20.2 million tonnes during 2005-06. The consumption of major fertilisers namely, Urea, DAP, MOP, SSP and Complexes are estimated to be 22.2, 6.8, 2.6, 2.8 and 6.7 million tonnes respectively during 2005-06. India is, by and large, self sufficient in respect of Urea and about 90 per cent in case of DAP. The all-India average fertiliser consumption is 96.4 kg./ha of NPK nutrients through there is wide variation from state to state varying from 197 kg./ha in Punjab, 164 kg./ ha in Haryana to less than 10 kg./ha in States like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, etc. Considering the skewed pattern of fertiliser use, Government of India is promoting balanced and integrated use of fertiliser nutrients through various initiatives.
As a result, NPK consumption ratio has now improved to 5.7: 2.2: 1 during 2004-05 from 7: 2.7: 1 during 2000-01.
- Price of fertilisers: Presently urea is the only fertiliser which is under Statutory Price Control. To ensure adequate availability of fertilisers to farmers at reasonable rates, subsidy is provided by Government of India. Urea, the most consumed fertiliser, is subsidised under the New Urea Pricing Scheme, whereas P&K fertilisers, which are decontrolled, are covered under the Concession Scheme. The existing scheme for special freight subsidy has been continued for supplies to the North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir. There is no change in the prices of major fertilisers level since 12 March 2003, which are as under:
| Fertilizer Product | MRP (Rs. Per MT) |
|---|---|
| Urea | 4830 |
| DAP (Indigenous) | 9350 |
| Complexes | 7100-9080 |
| MOP | 4455 |
| SSP | Price of SSP is fixed by State Governments |
- Buffer Stocking of P&K Fertilisers :To ensure adequate availability of decontrolled fertilisers in remote and inaccessible areas, there is a scheme under which a buffer stock of limited quantities of DAP and MOP is being maintained at strategic locations to meet emergent requirements.
- Balanced Use of Fertilisers: The Government is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Balanced and Integrated Use of Fertilisers’ to popularise soil test based judicious application of chemical fertilisers in combination with organic manures and bio-fertilisers. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided for setting up/strengthening of new soil testing laboratories for advising farmers on major and micro nutrients application, training and demonstration on balanced use of fertilisers and also for setting up of production units of useful organic manure from city waste/garbage. This scheme has since been subsumed within ‘Macro Management Scheme’ with effect from October 2000. State Governments are required to undertake all these activities through their Annual Work Plans.
- Fertiliser Quality Control :
The Government ensures the quality of fertilisers through Fertiliser (Control) Order (FCO) issued under Essential Commodities Act (ECA) to regulate the price, trade, quality and distribution of fertilisers in the country. The State Governments are the executing agencies to implement the various provisions of FCO. The Order strictly prohibits the manufacture, import and sale of any fertiliser, which does not meet prescribed standards. The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and Training Institute at Faridabad and its 3 Regional centres located at Navi Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani have been set up for inspection and analysis of imported and indigenous fertilisers, giving technical advice and providing training on quality control to state enforcement agencies and analysts. The Institute has also developed a Quick Testing Kit for on-the-spot detection of adulteration in fertilisers.
The FCO has been recently amended to make it more user friendly and ensuring effective enforcement. The important amendments include provision of repackaging of cut or torn fertiliser bags and reprocessing of damaged fertiliser due to natural calamities and provisions for commercial trials of provisional fertilisers. Accordingly, M/s National Fertiliser Limited (NFL), M/s Tata Chemicals, M/s Chambal Fertilisers Ltd., M/s Indo-Gulf Fertilisers and M/s Shri Ram Fertilisers have been permitted to manufacture neem-coated urea under Clause 20 A for commercial trials. M/s Coromandel Fertilisers Ltd. have been permitted to manufacture Bentonite Sulphur for commercial trials and M/s IFFCO has been permitted to manufacture fortified complex fertilisers. Printing of Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on all fertilisers including urea is now mandatory along with the printing of month and year of manufacture/import of fertiliser.
Presently there are 67 laboratories in the country (including 4 Central Government Laboratories) with a total annual analysing capacity of 1.25 lakh samples. The analytical capacity and the number of samples analysed and found non standard during the last 5 years are as under:
| Year | No. of Labs | Annual Analytical capacity | No. of samples analysed | Percent-age of non standard samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | 66 | 120315 | 103436 | 5.3 |
| 2001-02 | 66 | 120415 | 104188 | 5.7 |
| 2002-03 | 67 | 125480 | 109504 | 5.4 |
| 2003-04 | 67 | 124778 | 104647 | 5.5 |
| 2004-05 | 67 | 124730 | 108859 | 6.0 |
The percent-age of non standard samples on all India basis is hovering around 5 -6 per cent samples during the last 5 years. However, there is a large variation from state to state as 18 per cent in M.P., 10-13 per cent in Maharashtra, HP and UP, 4-8 per cent in Bihar, Orissa, W.B., Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, A.P., Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and around 1-3 per cent in Punjab and Gujarat.
- Promotion Of Bio-Fertiliser
With a view to promote the use of bio-fertilisers as an environment-friendly and cheaper source of plant nutrients, Government of India had earlier taken up a ‘National Project on Development and Use of Bio fertilisers’ during the Sixth Plan and was continued till Ninth Plan. The Scheme provided for setting up National Bio-fertiliser Development Centre at Ghaziabad and its Six Regional Bio-fertiliser Development Centres (RBDCs) at Jabalpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hissar and Imphal for promotion, extension, training and demonstration of bio-fertilisers. Under the Scheme, assistance for setting up of bio-fertiliser production units was also provided. Presently, there are around 125 bio-fertilisers production units in the country with an annual capacity of 18,000 tonnes of different types of bio-fertilisers and the annual production is about 10,000 tonnes. This scheme has been subsumed under a new Central Sector Scheme “” from October 2004. To undertake the new activities, the names of NBDC and RBDCs have been changed to National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) and Regional Centres of Organic Farming (RCOF).
- National Project On Organic Framing
The Government is implementing a new scheme ‘National Project on Organic Farming’ since October 2004 with an outlay of Rs 57.05 crore for production, promotion, market development of organic farming in the country during the remaining period of the Tenth Plan. The main components of the scheme include:
- Putting in place a system of certification of organic produce.
- Capacity building through service providers.
- Financial support for commercial production units for production of organic inputs like:
- Fruits and vegetable waste compost units;
- Bio fertilisers production; and
- Hatcheries for vermi culture.
- Promotion, extension and market development of Organic Farming.
