The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda said by 2023 India will be self-reliant in the production of fertilizers as under “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” programme.  

 

The government is setting up new fertilizer manufacturing units with an investment of Rs. 40,000 crore in the country to reduce dependency on import.

 

Gowda was addressing a webinar on “Self-Reliant India and Sustainable Agriculture” organized by IFFCO for the farmers of Karnataka. He said, “As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision to promote indigenous industries, we are converting all fertilizer companies to gas based technology. Recently we have revived four urea plants (Ramagundam, Sindhri, Barauni and Gorakhpur) in India. By 2023, we should become self-sufficient in the production of Fertilizers."

 

The Union Minister informed that the government is encouraging the production of organic and nano fertilizers in the country as they are 25 to 30 percent cheaper and give 18 to 35 percent higher yield and keep the soil in good health. 

 

He lauded the IFFCO’s nano experiment and called it a game changer. He informed that nano fertilizers distributed freely to 12,000 farmers and agriculture universities across the country have given positive feedback.

 

Gowda asked farmers to use urea judiciously as excessive use of urea may spoil the soil health. He advised farmers to use fertilizers according to their soil health cards.

 

He praised the efforts of IFFCO, during the COVID-19 pandemic period for not only keeping regular supply of fertilizers but also organising campaigns by distributing masks, sanitizers and hand gloves to mitigate the spread of COVID. He also thanked other fertilizers companies and the Indian Railways for playing an important role in timely supply of fertilizer during the COVID-19 pandemic period.