Use of nano-urea, DAP game-changers? Manufacturers in 'wait-and-watch' mode

Come the next kharif season, farmers in India should be able to use nano-di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), the second major initiative that the government is championing using nanotechnology after nano urea. Both nano fertilisers, the government thinks, have the potential to revolutionise Indian agriculture and make it more cost-effective than the conventional versions, which can save significantly on fertiliser subsidy and have minimal impact on the environment by reducing the release of greenhouse gases.

DAP is the second most consumed fertiliser in India after urea; of the estimated annual consumption of 10-12.5 million tonnes (MT) domestic production is 4-5 MT and the rest is imported.

Preliminary estimates show that a 500-litre bottle of nano-DAP is expected to be priced at around Rs  600, half the present subsidised rate of a 50-kg bag of DAP of Rs 1,350. Cooperative major IFFCO, which holds the patent for the technology, and private sector player Coromandel are jointly working on the nano-DAP roll-out.

Ahead of that, India had started commercial production of nano-urea on August 1, 2021, with IFFCO and state-owned Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd (RCF).

Thereafter, a plan was drawn to scale up nano-urea production in eight plants of IFFCO, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and RCF in various phases starting from August 2021. These together will produce around 440 million bottles of 500 ml nano-urea by November 2025. This will be equivalent to around 20 MT of conventional urea. One bottle of nano-urea is equivalent to one bag of urea. IFFCO has transferred nano-urea technology to NFL and RCF free of cost.

India currently consumes around 35 MT of urea a year, of which domestic production is 25-27 MT and the rest imported. Under the plan, the extensive use of nano-urea along with commissioning of new plants is expected to reduce India’s overall reliance on urea imports, from the present 7-9 MT per annum. According to senior government officials, the government will save foreign exchange of about Rs  40,000 crore a year on the import bill. This apart, reducing the application of conventional chemical fertilisers is expected to contain soil, water and air degradation caused by the overuse of chemical fertilisers, government officials say.

At present, the capacity of nano-urea production is over 50 million bottles per year, and it is expanding. Earlier this week, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated two new nano-urea plants set up by IFFCO in Aonla and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Officials also claim that the use of nano-urea will lead to an increase in farmer income, on account of lower input costs and higher crop yield and prices from better quality crops. By some estimates, a farmer could enhance income by an average of Rs  4,000 per acre by using nano-urea.

To assess the effectiveness of nano-urea, the government has conducted research trials with 20 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 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 ICAR and Krishi Vigyan Kendras using nano-urea.

The studies, according to government reports, showed an eight per cent increase in crop yields in foliar application (that is from the top through a sprayer on the leaves) of nano-urea.

That apart, the government claims nano-urea effectively fulfils the nitrogen (N) requirement of the plant. It has nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of more than 85 per cent. N is absorbed by plants through the roots when applied in soil and through foliage when sprayed on crops. It said that with the application of nano-urea on all crops, the injudicious use of chemical urea can be halved.

Despite these advertised benefits, the private sector remains in a wait-and-watch mode (Coromandel being an exception for nano-DAP). Private manufacturers produce almost half the domestic urea. Being a patented product by the government, the private sector will have to get a licence to produce nano-urea or-nano DAP in their plants.

Industry players said that they wanted to assess its effectiveness and cost before opting for large-scale production and sale of nano-urea through their channels. Some private company players said that nano-urea was essentially a product that was suitable for foliar application, while conventional urea was applied at the roots of the plants. Therefore, its effectiveness needs to be closely analysed in farmers’ fields rather than in trials.

Some critics also cite studies, which show that fertiliser use efficiency of urea is better via soil application rather than foliage.

But the government remains enthusiastic about the future of the technology. If officials are to be believed, more products using nanotechnology are in various stages of development that include nano zinc and even other complex fertilisers.

Meanwhile, all the claims and counter-claims about nano fertilisers will be fully verified in the next few years once they are tested in farmers’ fields. Till then, it is the government that will have to drive the initiative.