Fertiliser output needs to be enhanced to 35 mln tn: Pawar

NEW DELHI: Fertiliser production need to be enhanced to 35 million tonne per annum from the current level of 21 million tonne to boost farm production, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said today.

"It is estimated that country will require about 45 million tonne of nutrients to produce about 300 million tonne of foodgrains by 2025 to feed its growing population," Pawar said while addressing a kharif conference here.

Pawar said since 8-10 million tonne of nutrients can be supplied through organic sources, the rest has to come from chemical fertilisers.

"This implies that domestic supplies of fertilisers have to be increased substantially from the present level of 21 million tonne to about 35 million tonne per annum to bridge the nutrient gap," he added.

In 2010-11, the country's foodgrain production is estimated at 235.88 million tonne, according to the third revised estimate by the Agriculture Ministry.

Highlighting the importance of fertilisers in raising crop production, Pawar said "about 50 per cent increase in agricultural production in post green revolution era is attributed to use of fertilisers alone".

The minister also emphasised on the need to augment the supply of organic nutrient sources for supplementation of chemical fertilisers.

The country had imported 16.17 million tonne of fertilisers in April-November in the last fiscal, almost equal to the total import of 16.38 million tonne of farm nutrients in the entire 2009-10.

India meets 85 per cent of its urea requirement through indigenous production, but is largely dependent on import for meeting the phosphorus and potassium requirements either as finished fertilisers or raw materials.