When fertiliser shortages pushed farmers to desperate measures in 2021, with viral videos showing farmers looting bags of fertilisers from trucks, one farmer in Madhya Pradesh chose a different path. Mukesh Meena decided to steer away from the competition for conventional fertiliser and instead, experiment with nano urea. This nanotechnology-based liquid fertiliser was available at a local fertiliser shop. He purchased 48 bottles to apply to 12 acres of his 65-acre wheat farm and administered the recommended amount three times over the five-month rabi crop cycle from November to March. This experiment, however, revealed unexpected challenges, highlighting the complexities of adopting new agricultural technologies.

The high cost of labour to administer the urea to the crop was the reason Meena eventually shelved the experiment. “One labourer is needed to administer conventional urea on one acre of the farm. But for nano urea, at least four to five labourers are needed to spray it on the same area,” he says. “Each labourer charges Rs. 400, making it around Rs. 2,000 per acre for spraying nano urea. While the cost of nano urea itself and subsidised conventional urea is almost the same, the labour charges associated with nano urea are the issue.” Other farmers also point to the associated labour costs as well as raised concerns about its efficacy. Mishrilal Rajpoot from Khajuri Kala in Bhopal district, who has used nano urea on the vegetables he grows, claims that while conventional urea achieves the desired results with a single application, he needs to apply nano urea three times to achieve the same yield, tripling the fertiliser cost.

Nano urea is invented by chemical scientist Ramesh Raliya and supported by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), a multistate cooperative society that manufactures and promotes fertilisers. The liquid fertiliser is designed to meet the nitrogen needs of crops. Unlike the conventional granular urea, which is applied directly to the soil, nano urea is sprayed directly onto crops, with its ultra-small particles penetrating plant tissues to deliver nutrients. Available in 500 ml bottles, the government claims that nano urea can increase crop productivity by up to 8%.

IFFCO received a patent for nano urea in 2023, and the government is actively promoting its use. In 2021, IFFCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with public sector fertiliser companies to facilitate technology transfer and expand production. On July 30, this year, the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha that six nano urea plants, with a combined annual capacity of 26.62 crore bottles, have been established in the country. The government is also encouraging other PSUs to establish additional nano urea plants.

However, farmers like Mukesh Meena and Mishrilal Rajpoot’s experiences contrast with government claims about nano urea. Research highlights mixed results of using nano urea compared to conventional urea.

Rajiv Sikka, a senior soil chemist at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), who has been part of several studies on nano urea, makes a case that nano urea is costlier and less effective over time than conventional urea.

According to Sikka, IFFCO introduced nano urea in the market in 2019, claiming that spraying two 500 ml bottles — one at the maximum tillering stage (30 days after sowing) and another at the pre-flowering stage (around 50 days after sowing) — in crops like rice and wheat, could reduce the need for conventional granular urea by 50%. Typically, farmers apply two bags of conventional urea per acre, and IFFCO suggested that using nano urea could cut that in half. However, Sikka’s research, conducted over three years on crops such as rice and wheat, reveal a different story. The findings show a consistent yield reduction of around 20% in rice and wheat when using nano urea. Additionally, the protein content in these crops dropped by 13-20%. Sikka notes that the yield decline was cumulative, worsening each year as less nitrogen was applied to the soil, leading to progressive nitrogen depletion.

Moreover, Sikka points out the financial implications of using nano urea. While a standard 45 kg bag of conventional urea costs Rs. 265, a 500 ml bottle of nano urea is priced at Rs. 250. Farmers need two bottles per application of nano urea, costing Rs. 500, and at least three labourers to spray it, adding another Rs. 1,500 in labour costs. The associated labour costs to administer conventional urea are lower.

Sikka shares the story of evolution in nano urea in India. In 2019, IFFCO, which developed nano urea, approached PAU to fund the research trials. However, after poor results, IFFCO discontinued the production of the original nano urea, which contained 4% nitrogen. It later introduced “Super Nano,” with a higher nitrogen content of 8%, but the results were similar and it was discontinued as well. This year, IFFCO rolled out a new product called “Nano Plus,” claiming it contains 20% nitrogen. Trials for Nano Plus urea are currently underway.

Impact on environment and economy

In the 1960s, India faced severe food shortages and relied heavily on grain imports to sustain its growing population. William and Paul Paddock’s book, Famine 1975 – America’s Decision: Who Will Survive? famously categorised countries into ‘walking wounded,’ ‘should receive food,’ and ‘can’t be saved,’ placing India in the third group. However, within a few years, with the introduction of the Green Revolution, India underwent a dramatic transformation. Alongside land reforms, the country’s agriculture relied on high-yield crop varieties that were more responsive to chemical fertilisers. This policy shift is detailed in Sid Ravinutala’s paper, Redesigning India’s Urea Policy, published by Harvard Kennedy School. The book also describes how India introduced subsidies for fertilisers. The global oil crisis of the 1970s, which spiked food prices, prompted the Indian government to support fertiliser manufacturers with subsidies starting in 1977.

Subsidies have played an important role in the increased use of urea in the country. A study by iFOREST, a Delhi-based think tank, released on July 30, highlights the increase in urea consumption and subsidies in recent decades. Urea consumption soared from 6.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1980-81 to 35.7 MMT in 2022-23, more than a fivefold increase in about four decades. Simultaneously, the urea subsidy has also skyrocketed nearly 340 times, escalating from under Rs. five billion to Rs. 1686.92 billion.  In 2023, the government stated that the MRP of urea is Rs.242 per 45 kg bag, whereas the actual cost of the bag comes to around Rs. 2200, which government subsidises for the farmers and pays to fertiliser companies.

The report underscores that this overreliance on urea has reached unsustainable levels. While the ideal nutrient application ratio for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is 4:2:1, actual application ratios in 2022-23 were significantly skewed at 11.8:4.6:1, indicating a much higher use of nitrogen relative to phosphorus and potassium.

However, not all the nitrogen applied is being used for this purpose. Around two-thirds of the urea applied to fields is lost to the environment, contributing to severe environmental challenges, including water and air pollution, besides soil degradation. “It is estimated that the cost of water pollution due to nitrogen is about $30 billion yearly, about the same as the turnover of urea industry,” the iForest report says.

It claims that 4.3% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are now attributed to urea production and its use in agriculture. The production of urea, which is entirely dependent on fossil fuels, emits significant amounts of GHGs, while nitrous oxide (N2O) released from fields due to urea use is a potent GHG with a warming potential 300 times that of CO2. N2O also contributes to ozone depletion and has become the largest ozone-depleting substance (ODS) emitted by human activities, it adds.

Despite the high environmental and financial costs associated with increased urea use, it has not led to higher yields. The iFOREST report reveals that foodgrain production per unit of nitrogenous fertiliser has more than halved over the past 40 years, declining from 35.2 metric tonnes per metric tonne (MT/MT) in 1980-81 to 16.3 MT/MT in 2022-23.

India’s heavy dependence on urea also exposes it to vulnerabilities in energy security and diplomacy. In 2022-23, 84% of urea was produced using imported natural gas, and approximately 21% of the urea used, was imported directly.

A standing committee report tabled in February flagged this reliance on imports as a critical issue, urging the Department of Fertilizers to take action to address the deficit and work towards greater self-reliance in urea production.

Chandra Bhushan, President and CEO of iFOREST, expresses concern over urea consumption saying that it has reached unsustainable levels, posing significant risks to food security. Additionally, the sector’s growing reliance on imported natural gas raises serious questions about the country’s energy security.

To address these issues, the government has introduced several initiatives, such as promoting organic fertilisers, introducing sulphur-coated urea (Urea Gold), and producing nano urea. Along with other initiatives, the government of India relies on nano urea plants to reduce current import dependency on urea by 2025-26.

Reduce urea use gradually

Given the financial and environmental burden of urea overuse, the government has been trying to reduce its use. In 2017, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, during his Man Ki Baat address, called on farmers to cut urea consumption by half by 2022.

Experts say that getting rid of urea, though important, is not easy, and the country should adopt a gradual process to reduce its dependence on chemical fertilisers.

Vir Singh, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, says, “Urea is used to supply nitrogen, which converts to nitrates through enzymatic processes. This can lead to significant issues, such as nitrate contamination in water, which is associated with various diseases, and the impact of nitrous oxide on the ozone layer.

Chandra Bhushan emphasises the critical need to decarbonise urea manufacturing and optimise its consumption as key strategies for bolstering the resilience and productivity of Indian agriculture.

The iForest report proposes adopting a Green Urea Mission, which can help India ensure food and energy security, reduce subsidy burdens, lower environmental costs, and better support small farmers. Green urea uses renewable energy, such as solar and wind, for the production process.

Urea production uses hydrogen and despite being the second-largest consumer of hydrogen after oil refineries, the urea sector is not the priority in India’s Green Hydrogen Mission, notes the iForest report. The mission targets the production of five Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen by 2030. Green hydrogen, the iForest report notes, is the most natural fit and the cheapest way of producing urea.

The iForest report calls for the Green Urea Mission to be integrated with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, with the goal of transitioning urea manufacturing to green urea by 2050.

For the proposed Green Urea Mission, the iForest report suggests specific targets by mid-century, including increasing the area under non-chemical farming to 30%, improving nitrogen use efficiency by 30%, and reducing the proportion of urea in nitrogenous fertilisers by 30%.

If these targets are met, the report suggests that urea consumption could be halved by 2050, imports could be eliminated, subsidies could decrease by 65%, and greenhouse gas emissions could drop by 64%. The report claims that the economic and environmental benefits of implementing the Green Urea Mission would be close to a trillion dollars over the next 25 years.

When asked how to reduce dependence on urea, especially when nano urea is not giving similar yield, Sikka said, “To save nitrogen, we have recommended several practices. For example, growing a green manure crop like Sunn hemp, which fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere, can save 50% of nitrogen when incorporated into the soil before planting rice. Farmers can use such methods between two crops. There are other methods as well.”

However, Vir Singh said that the ultimate goal should be to gradually reduce urea use. Incorporating technologies like nano urea that minimise urea consumption is essential in this transition, he adds.

Banner image: Labourers spraying pesticides in soyabean crop in the field of Mukesh Meena, a farmer from Bhandely village in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district. Image courtesy of Mukesh Meena.

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