Nano Liquid Urea Sales Reach 7.33 Cr Bottles: Govt

New Delhi, Feb 9 (PTI) Nearly 7.33 crore bottles (500 ml each) of nano liquid urea have been sold during August 2021 to January 2024 period mainly in domestic market with a small quantity of exports, the government said on Friday.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba informed that the Department of Agriculture on February 24, 2021 had notified nano urea (liquid) produced by IFFCO as a nano fertilizer under the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).

On March 6, 2023, the department also notified the specification of nano urea to be manufactured by Ray Nano Science and Research Centre for a period of three years, he added.

"Three nano urea plants at Kalol, Phulpur and Aonla with capacity of 17 crore bottles (500 ml each) per annum have been set up by IFFCO. Further, Ray Nano Science & Research Centre (Anand, Gujarat) has initiated commercial production of its nano urea plant having capacity of 4.5 crore bottles per annum," Khuba said replying to questions asked by Member of Parliament Ram Shankar Katheria.

The minister noted that the central government is not directly involved in setting up of nano urea plants. "However, fertilizer companies have informed that they have decided to set up 6 more nano urea plants in the country," he added.

According to the data presented by the minister, as many as 7,32,92,884 bottles of nano urea (in 500ml bottles) were sold during August 2021 to January 2024 period.

Out of the total sales, fertiliser cooperative organisation IFFCO has sold 7,31,74,064 bottles while Ray Nano Science & Research Centre was able to sell 1,18,820 bottles.

As many as 4,84,560 bottles were exported during this period, all by IFFCO.

Meanwhile, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said the government has provisionally notified nano urea as nano nitrogen fertilisers.

"Based on the bio-efficacy trials at multiple locations by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions and state agricultural universities and bio-safety test results, Government of India had provisionally notified nano urea as nano nitrogen fertilizers in Fertilizer Control Order, 1985," Munda said.

The agriculture minister informed that these experimental trials of nano urea were conducted on different crops such as paddy, wheat, mustard, maize, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, capsicum and onion in different agro-climatic zones.

"The study indicated that two spray of nano urea as top-dressing along with recommended basal dose of nitrogen gave comparable yield to that obtained with full recommended dose of nitrogen with yield advantage of 3-8 per cent and urea saving of 25-50 per cent in various crops," Munda said.

Further, he said the Centre has notified other innovative products namely nano DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and nano-phosphorus.