Nano-DAP included in Fertilizer Control Order paving way for early release

DAP is the second most consumed fertilizer in the country after urea and out of the estimated annual consumption of around 10-12.5 mn tonnes; local production is around 4-5 mn tonnes, rest is imported

The Centre has notified the nano Di-Ammonia Phosphate (DAP) manufactured by cooperative major IFFCO in the Fertilizer Control Order, thus paving the way for its early commercial release for farmers.

Fertilizer Control Order is the mother act that regulates the sale, pricing, distribution and other formalities of fertilizers in India. Nano-DAP is being jointly manufactured by IFFCO in association with a private player Coromandel.

According to preliminary estimates, a 500 litres bottle of Nano DAP is expected to be priced at around Rs 600, which is half the present subsidized rate of a 50-kilogram bag of DAP which costs around Rs 1,350-1,400 to the farmer.

DAP is the second most consumed fertilizer in the country after urea and out of the estimated annual consumption of around 10-12.5 million tonnes; local production is around 4-5 million tonnes while the rest has to be imported.

Nano DAP is also expected to contribute in bringing down the annual subsidy on non-urea fertilizers.

Nano DAP is the second product from the nano stable after nano urea that is being promoted in a big way by the government to cut down subsidies and promote efficient use of plant chemicals.

In the case of nano urea, the plan is that by FY25 around 440 million bottles of 500 ml each of nano will be produced, which will be equivalent to around 20 million tonnes of urea.

India’s domestic urea production is around 26 million tonnes while demand is around 35 million tonnes, the gap is met through imports.

In case of Nano DAP, too, the gains for everyone in the value chain could also be significant.

A major chunk of the fertilizer subsidy on non-urea products is absorbed by DAP as it had wide usages and is one of the main plant chemicals consumed during the rabi sowing season in the country.

In FY23, the Centre had budgeted a total fertilizer subsidy of around Rs 1,05,222 crore of which almost 40 per cent is for non-urea fertilisers.

The benefits

Meanwhile, government officials claim that the use of Nano urea will lead to an increase in farmer income. This would be on account of reduction in input cost, higher crop yield and better prices, in view of better quality crops.

Official reports show that as per some estimation on an average Rs 4,000 per acre increase is possible in farmer income by using nano urea.

The government to assess the effectiveness of nano urea has conducted research trials with 20 ICAR research institutes and State agricultural universities across 43 locations on 13 crops since 2019-20 under different agro climatic regions.

Over 11,000 farmer field trials on 94 crops were also conducted in collaboration with Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)- Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) using nano urea.

The studies as per government reports showed an eight per cent increase in crop yields in foliar application of nano urea.

That apart, the government claims nano urea effectively fulfils the nitrogen (N) requirement of the plant. It has a nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of more than 85 per cent. N is absorbed by plants through roots when applied in soil and through foliage when sprayed on crops.

It said with the application of Nano Urea (liquid) on all crops, the injudicious use of chemical fertilizers like urea can be reduced by 50 per cent.