Punjab tops in use of chemical fertilisers
Karam Prakash
New Delhi, December 13
Punjab has the highest per hectare consumption of ‘chemical fertilisers’ in the country. The consumption of fertilisers, by nutrients — nitrogen, phosphate and potash — is 253.94 kg per hectare in the state for 2021-22.
Fertilisers easily available: Min
Amid the hue and cry over the shortage of fertilisers in Punjab at the time of sowing of wheat, the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, said fertilisers are easily available in the country during the ongoing rabi season.
This is followed by Haryana, where the chemical fertiliser consumption is at 210.1 kg per hectare. The information was disclosed by the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in the Lok Sabha today during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
It has been learnt that the use of fertilisers in Punjab has been the highest in the country over five years to sustain high-crop yields, however.
Experts, however, have warned of serious consequences if the overuse of chemical fertilisers continues and advised that the government should dissuade farmers from using chemical fertilisers.
Agriculture expert Devinder Sharma said overuse of chemical fertilisers had brought organic component in the soil to almost ‘zero’.
He explained that plants can consume only 30 per cent of a chemical fertiliser and the rest was increasingly reducing the soil fertility. “The current agricultural yield against the use of 1 kg of NPK has come down to 8 kg from the earlier 50 kg during the initial years of the Green Revolution. Now, the farmers, to reach the same crop yield, have to use more fertilisers.”
Meanwhile, Tomar said the Paramparagat Krishi Vikash Yojana (PKVY) scheme was being implemented in a cluster mode to promote the use of organic fertilisers.
“Financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare for three years is provided to farmers. Out of which, Rs 31,000 is given as incentive to farmers for organic inputs, including organic fertilisers, directly through DBT,” Tomar said in the Lok Sabha.
