- This scheme is initiated to regulate use of urea, enhance availability of nitrogen to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application.
- It slows down the release of fertilizer and makes it available to the crop in an effective manner.
- The entire quantity of domestically manufactured and imported urea is now neem coated.
- It reduces the cost of cultivation and improves soil health management.
Advantages
- Improvement in soil health.
- Reduction in costs with respect to plant protection chemicals.
- Reduction in pest and disease attack.
- An increase in yield of paddy, sugarcane, maize, soybean and tur/red gram to an extent of 5.79%, 17.5%, 7.14%, 7.4% and 16.88% respectively.
- Diversion of highly subsidized urea towards non-agricultural purposes negligible among farmers after the introduction of the mandatory policy of production and distribution of only NCU.
Difference in Plain urea and Neem Coated Urea
- In Neem coated urea, they put a layer of neem over the plain urea that increases the land fertility capacity that leads to the higher production of crops.
- The oil coating of neem in Neem coated urea mixes up slowly with the land and the crops soaks it according to the need.
- The unwanted urea washed away with the water or gets diluted in the air as nitrogen. If the farmer uses the Normal urea or Plain urea, the maximum unit of the manure is left unused.
