- Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF) has launched “Urea Gold,” a fortified fertiliser that blends urea with sulphur to improve nitrogen usage efficiency (NUE).
- It aims to address the issues of rising urea consumption and decreased agricultural efficiency.
What exactly is Urea Gold?
- “Urea Gold” is a fortified fertiliser that combines urea and sulphur to improve NUE and crop performance.
- NUE Enhancement: The reinforced combination ensures steady nitrogen release, preserving plant health and potentially reducing the frequency of fertiliser application.
Urea Consumption Issues and NUE Decline
- Urea usage Increases: Between 2009-10 and 2022-23, urea usage increased from 26.7 million tonnes to 35.7 million tonnes, making it India’s primary fertiliser choice.
- Import Reliance: Domestic urea production is mainly reliant on imported natural gas. India’s annual consumption is second only to China’s, where coal-based production dominates.
- NUE is declining: Only approximately 35% of urea nitrogen is beneficial to crops, prompting worries about resource waste and excessive fertiliser use.
Fertiliser Solution fortified
- Coating Strategy: In fortified fertilisers, primary nutrients (N, P, K) are coated with secondary nutrients (S, calcium, magnesium) and micronutrients (zinc, boron, manganese, and so on).
- Coated fertilisers operate as “carrier products” for secondary and micronutrients, enhancing N and P use efficiency and assuring controlled nutrient delivery.
- Yara International’s innovation: The “Procote” method allows for micronutrient coating, resulting in increased fertiliser efficacy.
- Confirmation of Efficacy: The trials demonstrated that micronutrient-coated fertilisers increased paddy and wheat yields, potentially alleviating NUE issues.
Pricing and Distribution Issues
- Pricing Issues: Existing subsidies for coated fertilisers such as zincated urea and boronated DAP may not incentivize producers to market fortified goods.
- Obstacles to Farmer Adoption: Farmers have been discouraged from adopting coated choices due to price differences between fortified and non-fortified fertilisers.
- Advocates recommend factory-level coating to promote uniform nutrition delivery and user ease. The elimination of maximum retail pricing (MRPs) for coated fertilisers may increase adoption.
- Striking a Pricing Balance: Because traditional fertilisers are heavily subsidised, fortified product premiums must stay fair in order to encourage affordability.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/how-to-make-urea-more-efficient-as-a-fertiliser-and-why-thats-needed-8891183/