Improving efficiency of fertilizer use in India
The more fertilizers we use, the more they deplete the soil’s organic matter and its holding capacity for water and nutrients, threatening crop yields and pushing farmers to add more fertilizers
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Context
This editorial argues for shifting the focus of India's fertilizer policy from supply-side management to enhancing fertilizer use efficiency. It highlights the environmental and economic costs of excessive chemical fertilizer reliance, particularly urea, and advocates for a systemic shift towards crop rotation involving pulses, increased use of organic alternatives, and improved inter-ministerial coordination to address the 'fertilizer trap' and ensure long-term food security.
UPSC Perspectives
Agriculture & Food Security
The article highlights the concept of the fertilizer trap, where continuous use of chemical fertilizers depletes soil organic matter and its capacity to hold water and nutrients. This degradation necessitates even more fertilizer use in subsequent seasons to maintain yields, leading to a vicious cycle. The author emphasizes the need to move beyond simply increasing supply (such as achieving self-sufficiency in urea production) to focusing on fertilizer use efficiency—producing more crop per unit of fertilizer applied. A critical solution proposed is the incentivization of pulse-cereal crop rotations or multicropping. Legumes naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, significantly reducing the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers like urea for the succeeding crop. The dominance of the rice-wheat cropping system, driven by (MSP) procurement policies, has displaced these traditional, sustainable practices. To address this, the government must effectively implement initiatives like the , ensuring robust procurement of pulses to encourage crop diversification and reduce reliance on chemical inputs.
Economic
India's fertilizer sector represents a massive fiscal burden, with annual subsidies exceeding ₹2 lakh crore. The editorial points out a significant inefficiency: a large portion of these subsidized nutrients is not absorbed by the crops and is lost to the environment. The current (NBS) scheme, introduced to promote balanced fertilization, has failed to achieve its goals largely because urea, the most heavily consumed and subsidized fertilizer, remains outside its purview. The heavy reliance on imported fuel for domestic urea production and the near-total dependence on imported rock phosphate for phosphatic fertilizers expose India to global price volatility and geopolitical shocks, as seen with the ongoing conflicts in West Asia. Furthermore, the push for grain-based bioethanol (using surplus rice) creates a 'food versus fuel' conflict, misallocating subsidized resources (land, water, fertilizers) away from essential food production. A more economically sound approach involves correcting the distorted MSP regime to favor less resource-intensive crops like pulses and investing in organic alternatives like manure and biochar to reduce import dependence and subsidy bills.
Environmental
The excessive and unbalanced use of chemical fertilizers has severe environmental consequences, which are critical for GS Paper 3. Nitrogen fertilizers, particularly urea, are highly prone to volatilization (loss as ammonia gas to the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution) and leaching or runoff into water bodies. This leads to eutrophication, a process where excess nutrients cause algal blooms that deplete oxygen in water, creating 'dead zones' and harming aquatic biodiversity. The editorial notes that even initiatives like neem-coated urea have not sufficiently curtailed these losses. Similarly, phosphatic fertilizers contribute heavily to water pollution. The author advocates for tripling the recycling of organic matter—manure, compost, and biochar—to serve as the foundational nutrient source, using chemical fertilizers only as a supplementary 'top-up'. This integrated nutrient management approach is essential for restoring soil health, mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (a key driver of climate change), and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Indian agriculture.