World’ s number one co-operative scripting history fulfilling ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ dream of PM Modi and Amit Shah
“IFFCO’s contribution in the upliftment of farmers and co-operative organisations is praiseworthy,” Prime Minister Commended Managing Director Dr. U S Awasthi’s Herculean efforts
By Jitendra Kumar Tiwari
The world’s number one cooperative Iffco is scripting history of supreme order fulfilling ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ dream of PM Narendra Modi and Co-operative Minister Amit Shah. Under the able stewardship of Chairman Dileep Sanghani and Managing Director Dr. U S Awasthi, iffco has put India at the top on the global nano fertiliser map, the new chapter in farm technology, with its nano (liquid) urea and nano Dap innovative products ruling over the world. This liquid revolution is radically transforming agriculture, raising farm productivity, reduce water usage and contamination, and slash the Centre’s fertiliser subsidy bill. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly commended the Herculean efforts of Dr. Awasthi by saying, “IFFCO’s contribution in the upliftment of farmers and co-operative organisations is praiseworthy. The government has fixed a target to double farmers’ income as early as possible.The cooperative major’s initiatives to connect farmers with best farm techniques would be helpful in achieving this goal.”
Nanotechnology enables designing ultra-small particles that offer higher surface-mass ratios, and help in the controlled delivery of plant nutrients. The benefits include the reduction in the excessive use of urea and dap, improvement in soil health, more efficient water use, lesser wastage and lower input costs for farmers.
The world of agriculture is witnessing a revolution with the introduction of Nano Urea and Dap Liquid by the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO). These two are the first-ever Nano Urea and Dap Liquid in the world, designed to improve plant nutrition and provide assistance to farmers globally.
The annual consumption of urea is 30 million tonnes. Typically, a farmer uses two bags per acre. Field trials show that a 500 ml bottle of nano urea can replace one bag of conventional urea, and reduce the urea requirement by 50%. The product is priced at ₹240 per 500 ml bottle without subsidy, 10% lower than a bag of conventional urea. Today, urea prices are not decontrolled and the government pays a subsidy of around ₹15,000 per tonne. If 15 million tonnes of nano urea is used instead of conventional urea, the savings in fertiliser subsidy will be around ₹22,500 crore. This means a 28% reduction in the budgeted fertiliser subsidy of ₹79,530 crore in 2021-22.
A large portion of conventional urea is lost to the atmosphere or surface water bodies, polluting the ecosystem. Nano urea is ecologically better. Iffco claims that the nitrogen present in nano urea could raise yields by 8%, and reduce storage costs. This is welcome. Iffco should scale up its ambition and target the export market as well, and not restrict itself to a planned 15-million-tonne capacity. India now has a lead role in a new global green revolution.
The introduction of liquid Nano DAP and Nano urea offers a more effective alternative to granulated urea and DAP, with multiple benefits for farmers and the environment. The use of liquid dap improves both the quality and quantity of crop production while conserving the land and reducing health risks associated with chemical fertilizers.
Liquid fertilizers minimize land contamination and promote the growth of earthworms, contributing to natural farming practices and soil conservation. This Revolutionary step in agriculture will lead India towards self-sufficiency in food production and fertilizers, benefiting the majority of the population engaged in agriculture-related activities.
Cooperative societies like IFFCO and KRIBHCO have played a significant role in India’s self-reliance on fertilizer element production, following the mantra “mass production by masses”. IFFCO’s commissioning of 3 urea plants in a single year demonstrates they are committed to scientific research and practical application in agriculture. The introduction of liquid Nano DAP and Nano urea has reduced consumption and import by 6.3 crore urea bags, resulting and significant savings for the country.
The goal is to reduce granular DAP usage by 90 lakh metric tons through liquid DAP benefiting both the economy and the environment.
Strengthening primary agriculture credit societies(PACS) is a priority for the Ministry of Corporation, with plans to create new multi-dimensional PACS in 2 lakh panchayats over the next 5 years.
IFFCO’s extensive experience and dedication to cooperative principles have made them a driving force in the Cooperative environment, contributing to the sector’s growth and income improvement. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah has all the praise for co-operative major. He says,” IFFCO has taken India to first position in the world in Nano Urea and Nano DAP production. It’s both the product will find a place in the list of biggest experiments done in agricultural sector. The need of the hour is to reduce the use of urea and move towards natural farming, while at the same time there is also a need to increase production. If all PACS use Nano Urea and Nano DAP in partnership with IFFCO then very soon our land will move towards natural farming and we will be able to achieve the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
(The writer is the President of All India Iffco Officers Association)
excellent article giving a glimpse of the modus operandi of iffco