India has achieved record urea production of 24.5 million tonnes in the 2015-16 fiscal, which could lead to reduction of imports by 2 million tonnes, the government said today.
"For food security of the country, it is very important to ensure the soil nutrient security for the farmers and that's what we all are aiming," Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar said.
The urea production is increased by 2 million tonnes in 2015-16 as compared to 22.5 million tonnes in FY 2014-15, Kumar added.
Also Read
"In the last one year, a silent urea revolution has taken place in the country and as a result there has been no shortage of the urea for farmers. It is a remarkable achievement," Kumar said.
The Minister added the urea production is increased by two million tonnes on the back of various policy initiatives taken by the government.
"With higher production, it is expected that in coming days urea import can come down substantially," he said.
He also mentioned that with compulsory neem coating of urea, it is also acting as an insecticide and at the same time benefiting the soil health.
The annual domestic demand of urea is estimated at 30 million tonnes, while the production had been stagnant in the last few years at around 22 million tonnes. The rest is met through imports.
The government is reviving several closed urea plants to boost domestic production and cut imports.
Urea is a controlled fertiliser and is sold at a fixed selling price of Rs 5,360 per tonne. The difference between cost of production and selling price is paid as subsidy to manufacturers.
