Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

India’s fertilizer policy has historically relied on product-based subsidies, which reduced prices but also distorted nutrient application patterns, resulting in excessive urea use, soil nutrient imbalance, and declining agricultural productivity.

In this context, nano-fertilizers and precision agriculture technologies offer transformative potential by enhancing nutrient-use efficiency and supporting a result-based nutrient management framework.

Body:

Why Product-Based Subsidy Is No Longer Effective

• Uniform Application, Ignoring India’s Agro-Climatic Diversity :
  • India’s 15 agro-climatic zones require site-specific nutrient management, but the present system pushes quantity-based use instead of need-based application. Current policy incentivizes consumption, not nutrient outcomes.
  • Encourages Excessive Nitrogen Use : Subsidies tied to fertilizer quantity (mainly urea) have led to imbalanced NPK use (N:P:K ≈ 6.9:2.4:1 instead of 4:2:1).Current policy incentivizes consumption, not nutrient outcomes.
• Leads to Soil Nutrient Mining & Decline in Soil Health :
  • Leads to nutrient mining, soil increasingly deficient in zinc, sulfur, boron, and micronutrients.
  • Soil organic matter decline, micronutrient deficiency, and stagnating yields show diminishing returns from blanket fertilizer use.
  • Leakage, diversion, and inefficiency persist despite reforms (DBT for fertilizers).
• High Fiscal Burden & Market Distortion:
  • Subsidies rise automatically when global fertilizer prices increase, placing enormous pressure on national finances
  • For example, Indian government has allocated ₹1.84 trillion for fertilizer subsidies in FY 2025-26
  • The policy discourages private-sector innovation in biofertilizers, customized fertilizers, coated fertilizers, and micronutrient mixtures.

Need for Result-Based Nutrient Management

• Shifts Focus from Quantity to Efficiency :
  • Result-based nutrient management (RBNM) promotes nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) by ensuring fertilizers are applied in the right quantity, at the right time, and through the right method.
  • This transition aligns with the global 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework (Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place for fertilizers).
• Directly Addresses Soil Health Degradation :
  • Encourages site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), crop-specific recommendations, and soil-health-card–based application.
  • RBNM integrates soil testing, crop-specific requirements, and real-time diagnosis, encouraging farmers to follow scientific nutrient application rather than blanket doses
• Reduces Environmental Externalities :
  • Reduces environmental costs such as nitrate leaching, eutrophication, ammonia emissions, and groundwater contamination.
  • It helps India progress towards its Paris Agreement commitments and lowers the carbon footprint of agriculture.
• Improves Farmer Income through Better Productivity:
  • Balanced nutrition reduces input wastage and improves crop response ratios, leading to higher yields and better input-output efficiency.
  • RBNM can significantly raise margins and profitability, especially for small farmers.
• Creates Space for Innovation in the Fertilizer Industry:
  • Since subsidies would be linked to performance rather than product, RBNM encourages companies to innovate in biofertilizers,coated fertilizers,nano-formulations etc.
  • This shifts India’s fertilizer ecosystem from volume-driven manufacturing to science-driven nutrient solutions.

Role of Nano-Fertilizers in Enabling the Paradigm Shift

• Higher Nutrient-Use Efficiency Through Nano-Scale Delivery
  • Nano-fertilizers such as nano urea and nano DAP have extremely high surface-area-to-volume ratios, allowing nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently by plant leaves.
  • This raises Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE), supporting a shift from bulk chemical use to outcome-oriented nutrient application.
• Reduction in Fertilizer Quantity Without Compromising Yield:
  • A 500 ml bottle of nano urea can replace a 45 kg urea bag, reducing transportation, storage, and application costs.
  • This aligns with result-based nutrient management by ensuring that subsidies are linked to crop performance and nutrient efficiency, not the quantity purchased.
• Minimizes Losses Through Leaching, Runoff & Volatilization:
  • Conventional fertilizers often suffer losses due to volatilization of nitrogen, leaching into groundwater, and surface runoff.
  • Nano-fertilizers significantly reduce these losses because the nutrients are delivered directly to plant metabolic pathways, ensuring efficient utilization and minimal environmental damage.
• Supports Climate-Resilient Agriculture:
  • Nano-fertilizers reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—by reducing excess nitrogen application.
  • This aligns with India’s climate commitments and supports a greener agricultural system.
• Enhances Soil Health and Reduces Chemical Load:
  • By reducing reliance on bulky chemical fertilizers, nano-formulations help keep soils healthier.
  • Lower chemical load improves microbial activity,soil organic carbon levels.

Role of Precision Agriculture in Enabling the Paradigm Shift

• Use of Digital & Smart Tools:
  • Remote sensing, GIS, and satellite-based monitoring help track nutrient deficiencies and crop growth across large fields.
  • IoT-enabled soil sensors provide real-time data on nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, and organic carbon.
• Precision Delivery Mechanisms:
  • Tools like drone-based spraying, GPS-guided fertilizer applicators, and variable rate technology (VRT) allow precise placement of fertilizers.
  • Nano-fertilizers integrate perfectly with PA since they require micro-dosing and targeted spraying, reducing losses through leaching and volatilization.
• Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM):
  • PA uses data from soil testing, geospatial mapping, IoT sensors, and drones to assess soil variability, moisture, nutrient levels, and crop health.
  • This allows farmers to apply fertilizers only where needed and only in required quantities, reducing wastage.
• Enabling a Result-Based Policy Framework:
  • PA generates quantifiable data, enabling the government to shift subsidies toward measurable outcomes like lower fertilizer consumption per hectare,improved soil health parameters etc.
  • Enables monitoring and verification required for a performance-linked incentive (PLI)-style nutrient management approach.

Conclusion:

A shift toward result-based nutrient management is vital for restoring soil health, ensuring environmental sustainability, and boosting long-term farm productivity. Nano-fertilizers and precision agriculture tools can greatly improve nutrient-use efficiency through targeted, measurable application.Integrating these innovations into policy can help India build a scientific, efficient, and sustainable fertilizer system aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and climate-resilient agriculture.