The government has taken various initiatives to boost the fertilizer sector towards servicing farmers. With a view to disseminate knowledge on optimum usage of fertilizer nutrients to sustain the agriculture productivity and to make farmers aware of new developments in the field of fertilizer usage, Department of Fertilizers, Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare and Department of Agricultural Research and Education jointly organized Fertilizer Application Awareness Programme for farmers .
Indian Council for Fertilizers and Fertilizer Technology Research
In order to encourage research and innovation in fertilizer and fertilizer technology, CPSEs under the Department of Fertilizers formed a separate think tank body called “Indian Council for Fertilizers and Fertilizer Technology Research (ICFFTR)”. The Council has been registered as society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Council will undertake/ promote R&D and research work in the area of fertilizer and fertilizer manufacturing technology, use of raw materials and innovation in products through partnership and collaboration with various research institutions, fertilizer industry and other stakeholders. So far, the General Council has held two meetings and the Executive Committee has held three meetings.
Fertilizer Policy
At present, there are 30 urea units in the country out of which 27 urea units use Natural Gas (using either domestic gas/ LNG or both) and remaining three urea units use Naphtha as feedstock. The MRP of urea is statutorily fixed by the Government of India and at present it is Rs. 5360/- per MT (exclusive of the Central/ State Taxes), which includes Rs. 180/MT as dealer margin for private traders/ PSUs & Rs. 200/MT for Co-operatives and Rs. 50/MT to retailers for acknowledging the receipt and reporting the stock in mFMS (iFMS) as additional incentive. An extra MRP of 5 % (of Rs. 5360/- per MT) is charged by fertilizer manufacturing entities on Neem Coated Urea. The difference between the delivered cost of fertilizers at farm gate and MRP payable by the farmer is given as subsidy to the fertilizer manufacturer/ importer by the Government of India.
The Department of Fertilizers is the nodal organization that is responsible for the planning, development, and promotion of the chemical fertilizer industry in India. This department also monitors the production, distribution, and imports of fertilizers. Besides, it is also responsible for management and provides financial assistance to the investors who are investing in the sector. There are great investment opportunities for foreign investors to invest in the Indian chemical fertilizers industry, optimize the fertilizer production through the use of modern technology, and gain valuable returns. The government of India has made ambitious plans to set several chemical fertilizer projects in place.
