A New Farming Plan Is In The Works, Prioritizing Nutrients Over Fertilizers

In what may cause consternation among farmers, the Union government plans to cap subsidized fertilizer distribution and instead link allocation of soil nutrients to crop requirements and sowing patterns specific to different regions, two people said.

- Dhirendra Kumar

The move is aimed at controlling excessive fertilizer use, aligning domestic agricultural practices with India's export ambitions, optimizing the use of soil nutrients through scientific planning, and curbing India's rising subsidy burden, one of them said.

The plan is currently under inter-ministerial consultation, this person added. If the government goes ahead with it, soil nutrients will be allocated to farmers through point-of-sale units located in their villages or panchayats (village councils) based on their crop requirements, said the second person mentioned above. Both of them declined to be identified.