The country’s first Liquid Nano Urea plant at Kalol, Gujrat was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will be produced by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Limited.
Urea is chemical nitrogen fertilizer, white in color, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants. Liquid nano urea is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
Why is it better than conventional urea?
- Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant. Fertilizers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, and pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
- Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.
- Liquid nano urea is cheaper (Rs 240 for half litre without subsidy; International market price of a bag of urea is between Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,000. A bottle of the nano urea can effectively replace at least one bag of urea.
- The efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 percent (Conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent).
- Fertilizers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
- Reduces soil, water, and air pollution and will increase crop productivity.
IFFCO is setting up additional facilities for the production of nano fertilizers at Aonla, Phulpur(Prayagraj), Bengaluru, Paradeep, Kandla, Deoghar, and Guwahati, besides expanding the Kalol plant, for the production of nano urea, nano DAP and nano micronutrients. These units will have a production capacity of 2 lakh bottles per day.
