Nano urea will encourage natural farming, not reduce production: Amit Shah

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that Nano Urea and Nano DAP introduced by IFFCO will help farmers adopt natural farming without compromising production. He said this after inaugurating the Nano DAP (Diammonium Phosphate Liquid) manufacturing plant at Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFCO) unit at Kalole in Gandhinagar district. IFFCO later said in a statement that it is the first such plant in the world.

Speaking at the event, Amit Shah said, “Ten years from now, when the list of biggest trials in agriculture is made, I can say with certainty that IFFCO’s Nano Urea and Nano DAP will be on it.” The Union Minister said that reducing the use of urea and moving towards natural farming is the need of the hour.

What did Amit Shah say?

“If you want to switch to natural farming for three years (the time required to prepare the soil for such farming), use nano urea and nano DAP,” says Amit Shah. Nano urea does not penetrate the soil and therefore does not harm earthworms, which are an important part of natural farming, he said.

Speaking at the inauguration of IFFCO Nano DAP Plant at Kalol, Gandhinagar. https://t.co/ieO6xLhcwb

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 24, 2023

The Union Cooperation Minister said farmers can continue experimenting with nano-urea for several years until the land is prepared and certified for natural farming. The minister urged the farmers to adopt liquid fertilizers that give higher yields instead of granular urea and DAP. He said that the use of granular urea not only harms crops but also harms human health. He alleged that the previous government had neglected both the farmers and agriculture for years.

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Increase in subsidy on fertilizers

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that when the cost of fertilizers increased after the Covid-19 pandemic, the burden did not fall on farmers. As a result subsidy on fertilizers increased from Rs 73,000 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2.55 crore in 2013-14. crores, which the government has paid.” Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, IFFCO Chairman Dilip Sanghani and its CEO and MD Uday Shankar Awasthi were also present on the occasion, he said.

IFFCO said in its statement that this is the first plant of its kind to manufacture 500ml IFFCO Nano DAP (liquid) bottles which is equivalent to one bag of conventional DAP. It is said that the factory will have the capacity to produce two lakh bottles per day. The launch of IFFCO Nano DAP (Liquid), a project led by Prime Minister Modi, will “fundamentally transform India’s agriculture industry, bring prosperity to farmers and promote self-reliance in fertilizer production,” it said.

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Crores of fertilizer bottles are ready

The statement said that in February 2021, Prime Minister Modi approved the production of nano urea and by 2023 the country has developed the necessary infrastructure to produce around 17 crore nano urea bottles. It said IFFCO has played a leading role by commissioning most of the operational plants and many more are in the pipeline. It started manufacturing Nano Urea in August 2021 and has produced around 6.3 crore bottles by March 2023. (PTI)