New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) The government has provided special fertiliser packages on Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) over and above the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) subsidy rates to ensure its smooth availability at affordable prices to farmers amid disruptions in supply due to geopolitical tensions, the Parliament was told on Tuesday.
“Recently, in 2024-25, due to the geopolitical situation, adversely affecting the viability of procurement of DAP by fertiliser companies, the government has approved a one-time special package on DAP beyond the NBS rates on actual PoS (Point of Sale) sale of DAP during March 2024, @ Rs 3,500 per metric tonne which has now been extended till March 31, 2025 to ensure sustainable availability of DAP at affordable price to farmers,” Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha.
She said urea is provided to farmers at a statutorily notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 45 kg bag of Rs 242 per bag (exclusive of charges towards neem coating and taxes as applicable). The difference between the delivered cost of urea at the farm gate and net market realisation by the urea units is given as a subsidy to the urea manufacturer/importer by the Centre. Accordingly, all farmers are being supplied urea at subsidised rates.
Under the NBS scheme, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on an annual/bi-annual basis, is provided on subsidised P&K fertilizers depending on their nutrient content including DAP.
Under NBS scheme, the P&K sector is decontrolled, and fertiliser companies are allowed to fix MRP at reasonable levels which is monitored by the government. The fertiliser companies manufacture or import fertilisers as per the market dynamics.
Further, the guidelines on evaluation of reasonableness of MRPs fixed by the P&K fertiliser companies also ensure the availability of fertilizers at affordable prices to farmers across the country, the minister said.
She also highlighted that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has assessed the impact of long-term use of chemical fertilisers in different soil types (fixed locations) under dominant cropping systems.
Investigations carried out over five decades at fixed sites have indicated that there is no harmful effect of chemical fertilisers on soil fertility with balanced and judicious use. However, imbalanced use of chemical fertilisers, coupled with low addition of organic matter over years, may cause multi-nutrient deficiencies vis-a-vis decline in soil health. Continuous use of nitrogenous fertiliser alone had deleterious effects on soil health and crop productivity showing deficiencies of other nutrients.
The investigation over the last few decades indicated that even in the NPK fertilised system, nutritional disorders in terms of deficiency of micro and secondary nutrients surfaced after a few years affecting soil health and crop productivity. The highest decline in crop yield was observed in plots receiving only urea. In the case of drip irrigation (fertigation), comparable crop yield can be obtained with less amount of water and fertilisers due to higher water and nutrient use efficiencies, the minister added.
–IANS
sps/vd
