The Issue of Sustainability

and
Role of Bio-fertilizers
An Indian Perspective

By- Dr. US Awasthi

 The Presentation Focuses On

¾ Fertiliser Consumption and Food Grains

Production Scenario in India;
¾ Causes of Declining Crop Productivity;
¾ Sustainability of Farmers;
¾ Deficiency of Nutrients in Soil;
¾ Use Of Balanced Fertilisers and Biofertilisers;
¾ Comparison to other Countries; and
¾ IFFCO’s efforts to increase Crop Productivity.
Stagnation in Food grains Production in India
• Till 1997-98 strong Exploring Relationship Between Foodgrain
correlation is found Production & Fertilizer Consumption
20000.0 200
between Fertilizer
consumption and food 18000.0 180
grains production NPK Consumption
16000.0 160
• After 1997-98, this Foodgrain Production
14000.0 140
relationship distorted
9Most of States are 12000.0 120

in M illio n M T
in '0 0 0 M T
experiencing increase in 10000.0 100
fertilizer consumption 8000.0 80
with slower pace of crop
productivity 6000.0 60

9Some states witness 4000.0 40

consumption of fertilizer 2000.0 20

picking up without any
conspicuous gain on 0.0 0
1 9 6 6 -6 7
1 9 6 9 -7 0
1 9 7 2 -7 3
1 9 7 5 -7 6
1 9 7 8 -7 9
1 9 8 1 -8 2
1 9 8 4 -8 5
1 9 8 7 -8 8
1 9 9 0 -9 1
1 9 9 3 -9 4
1 9 9 6 -9 7
1 9 9 9 -2 0 0 0
2 0 0 2 -0 3
agricultural crop
productivity
 The Role of Fertilisers

• Increase productivity
• Therefore, there has to be a positive correlation
between use of fertilisers and crop yield
• The crop yield is falling and not in proportionate
to fertilizer consumption
 Causes Of Declining Crop Productivity
• Imbalanced and indiscriminate use of chemical
fertilisers
• Occurrence of multi-nutrients deficiency such as
Zinc, boron, sulphur etc. besides NPK
• Rain dependent agriculture - About 2/3 area
• Inadequate irrigation facilities
• Continuous fragmentation of land, unfavourable
for adoption of technology
• Land holding pattern and Predominance of
marginal and small farmers
 Land Holding Pattern And Sustainability
Ç 80 % of Indian Farmers are Small and Marginal with operational
holding of less than 1.4 hectares
Ç Wheat and Rice are the two Major crops grown in India
– The average yield for Wheat is 2617 Kg / Hectare and
– The average yield for Rice is 2101 Kg / Hectare
Ó “Minimum Support Price” (MSP) is not favourable and viable
compare to net costs to farmers
Factors For Sustainability
9 Raise Farm Income
9 Increase crop productivity through balanced use of Fertilizers
9 Managing Cost of Inputs
9 Increase fertilizer use efficiency
9 Generation of Additional Income to Farmers through allied
activities
 Major Cause: Nutrient Deficiency In Soil
Photosynthesis: CO2 + H2O Æ carbohydrates (CHO) + O2
• Besides NPK, Sulphur, Zinc
And Calcium are also
required in good quantity.
• Other nutrients such as
Iron, Boron etc. though
required in small quantities,
but their deficiency
significantly impacts plant
growth & life.
• Micronutrient deficiency
(Zn, Boron, Iron & Sulphur)
Nutrients are taken up primarily by the roots
in Indian Soil is increasing
in the form of an aqueous solution in the soil

Innumerable experiments prove there is Significant increase in Yields by

application of secondary & micronutrients along with NPK nutrients
 Use Of Balanced Fertilisers
• Use of Balanced Fertilisers, Organic fertilisers and
Bio-fertilisers can provide viable leverage to increase
crop productivity
• It enrich the soil with important nutrients
• Bio-fertilisers has potential to generate additional
income to farmers from the same size of land
• Types of Bio-fertilisers
– Rhizobium,
– Azotobactor,
– Azospirillium
 COMPARISON TO OTHER COUNTRIES
Average Yielf of Foodgrain + Cereals
Country Fertiliser Egypt Yield China Yield Sri Lanka Yield India Yield
Uses Kg/Ha 8050

1 India 104.7 7050

7060 7010
7289 7347
6766 6845
6542
2 Pakistan 164.1 6050
6283 6437

5050
3 Bangladesh 188.6 4862
5044

Kg/Ha
4798 4695 4791 4789 4742 4745
4050 4626

4 France 215.9 3050 3475

3212 3341 3219
2984 3025 3025 3159
5 Sri Lanka 271.8 2050
2857

1938 2030 2038 2098 2103

1837 1921 1919 1910
6 China 275.1 1050

7 United 315.1 50
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Kingdom
8 Egypt 471.5 Country 2003 2004 Increase in
Kg/ha Kg/ha Yield Kg/ha
9 N. Zealand 668.5
Egypt 7209 7347 138
Due to higher level of
China 4745 5044 299
consumption, productivity
Srilanka 3219 3475 256
is on rise in Egypt, China,
Srilanka India 2098 2103 5
 IFFCO’s Efforts to Increase Agricultural
Productivity

• Soil testing
– 5 Mobile soil testing vans with a annual
capacity to analyze 30000 soil samples
free of cost
– Free Soil testing facility at Phulpur and
Kalol
• Production of bio-fertilizers at CORDET
Phulpur and Kalol Producing :
- Rhizobium, Azotobactor, Azospirillium, PSB
as an integral part of integrated nutrient
management
• Proposal to set-up a bio-fertilizer plant is in
pipeline
• Provided KIOSKS to cooperatives to
disseminate information related to agriculture in
10 Indian languages
 IFFCO’s Efforts to Increase Agricultural
Productivity

• Organizing various promotional and

educational programmes for the benefit of
cooperatives and farmers to increase
productivity of crops
• Linkages with State Agriculture Research
Universities / Research Institutions
- Through 17 IFFCO chairs in the disciplines of:
– Agronomy,
– Soil Science,
– Extension and Cooperation,
– Agro Economics and Fertilizer Technology
• Various Cooperative development and Welfare
Programmes:
 Thank You
Dr. U.S Awasthi
Managing Director
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd.
IFFCO Sadan, C-1 District Centre, Saket
New Delhi-110017 INDIA
e-mail: mdoffice@iffco.nic.in