[Answered] In the light of present conditions, discuss the challenges India is facing in meeting its requirement of fertilizers. Suggest some measures that can be taken to keep the Fertilizer’s supply balanced.

Fertilizers play a huge role in maintaining the fertility of farms for increasing outputs. India meets 85 percent of its urea requirement through indigenous production but depends heavily on imports for its phosphate and potash (P & K) fertilizer requirements.

Challenges:

• Lack of natural resources: In case of urea, there is not enough natural gas available in the country. Increase in price of oil in international market also adversely impact the fertilizer supply.
• Less production: Major fertiliser exporters such as China have gradually reduced their exports because of a low production due to pandemic. India imports 40–45% of its phosphates from China.
• Costlier raw material: Rock phosphate is the key raw material for DAP (diammonium phosphate) and NPK fertilisers and India is 90 percent dependent on imports for them. Their prices have risen up to 250–300%.
• High logistics costs: The disruption in the logistics chain during Covid has caused the average freight rates for ships to jump up to four times. Also, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shipping routes have been closed.

Measures for the balanced supply of fertilizers:

• There is a need to scale up and improve the innovations to develop alternative fertilizers such as nano urea.
• should take strict action against diversion, hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers.
• We need to be self-reliant and not depend on the import of fertilizers. In this way, we can also reduce the high volatility in international prices.
• There is an urgent need to revive the plants and to utilize domestically available raw materials such as rock phosphate.
• should make efforts to secure fertiliser supply from alternative sources such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.
• Raise efficiency of urea through neem-coating, which is expected to reduce consumption by 10%, or 32 lakh tonne per year.

India should pay attention to improving fertilizer efficiency through need-based use and increase investment in new fertilizer plants. The fertilizer plants should be equipped with the best technology available and become globally competitive.