Relevance: GS-3 (Agriculture, Indian Economy, Environment) | Source: The Hindu

1. The Core Issue (News in Brief)

Global crises have pushed India’s annual fertilizer subsidy to a massive ₹2 lakh crore.

• The Problem: Over 66% of these subsidized chemical fertilizers are wasted. They fail to absorb into the crops and instead cause severe environmental pollution.
• The Need: India must urgently shift from “increasing supply” to “reducing demand” by teaching farmers to use fertilizers more efficiently.

2. India’s Fertilizer Vulnerabilities

• Urea (Nitrogenous): India makes 80% of its urea locally. However, this is risky because the factories rely heavily on imported natural gas.
• Phosphatic Fertilizers (DAP/NPK): India has almost no domestic reserves of mineral rock phosphate. As a result, we are forced to import nearly 100% of our phosphatic fertilizer needs.
• The Fiscal Drain: To protect farmers from high global prices, the government pays heavy subsidies, straining the national budget.

3. The “Fertilizer Trap” (The Cycle of Degradation)

Indian agriculture is stuck in a dangerous cycle:

• Soil Damage: Overusing chemical fertilizers destroys the soil’s natural organic matter, stripping its ability to hold water and nutrients.
• Forced Overuse: To get the same crop yield on this damaged soil, farmers are forced to apply even more fertilizer the next season.
• Environmental Harm: Unused Urea escapes into the air as ammonia gas (air pollution). Excess phosphates wash into rivers, causing eutrophication (water pollution that kills aquatic life).

4. Why Policies are Failing

• Urea is excluded from NBS: The Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme was meant to promote balanced fertilizer use. It failed because Urea was kept out of its pricing rules, keeping its price artificially cheap.
• MSP Bias: The government largely procures only Rice, Wheat, and Sugarcane at Minimum Support Prices (MSP). These are “nutrient-guzzling” crops that consume two-thirds of India’s total urea.
• Loss of Crop Rotation: Because of the MSP bias toward cereals, farmers have abandoned the traditional practice of growing pulses (legumes), which naturally heal the soil.

5. UPSC Value Box: Key Schemes & Concepts

• PM PRANAM Scheme: A national initiative that financially rewards State governments for reducing chemical fertilizer use and promoting bio-friendly alternatives.
• Dalhan Aatmanirbharta Mission: A strategic mission to massively scale up domestic pulse production, which will naturally reduce urea demand.
• Biochar: A carbon-rich residue (made from burnt farm waste) that acts as an excellent natural soil conditioner to retain moisture and nutrients.

6. The Administrative Solutions

• Incentivize Pulses (Legumes): Pulses naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. Promoting them can reduce urea dependence by up to 90% for that crop cycle.
• Change Application Rules: Extension workers must train farmers to use organic manure as the main soil base, using chemical fertilizers strictly as a minor top-up.
• Smarter Seed Research: Direct research funds toward developing native crop varieties that possess high “nitrogen-use efficiency” (giving high yields with very little fertilizer).

Consider the following statements regarding the fertilizer sector and related government initiatives in India:

1. India is completely self-sufficient in the domestic production of mineral rock phosphate required for phosphatic fertilizers.
2. The Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme currently covers all chemical fertilizers, including Urea, to promote balanced fertilization.
3. The PM PRANAM scheme aims to incentivize States to promote alternative fertilizers and the balanced use of chemical fertilizers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 3 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a) 3 only