IFFCO targets full capacity utilisation in nano-urea production in 2022-23.

Fertiliser cooperative IFFCO targets to produce 5 crore bottles of nano-urea this fiscal, utilising its full capacity against about 80 per cent capacity utilisation recorded last year after it launched the liquid nitrogen crop nutrient in August 2021.

“We were able to produce 2.9 crore bottles of nano-urea which are equivalent to 13.05 lakh tonnes (lt) of conventional urea available in a 45-kg bag,” IFFCO’s managing director US Awasthi said. By producing full capacity of nano-urea and if farmers use the entire quantity, country can save 22.5 lt in the total volume of import, he said.

India had imported 98.3 lt of urea during 2020-21 and industry sources said that 81 lt was imported during April-February of 2021-22 fiscal, whereas the total consumption has been pegged at 342 lt (excluding nano-urea) for last year.

The government is looking to increase nano-urea production to 44 crore bottles per year (equivalent to 198 lakh tonnes of conventional urea) when all seven plants in the pipeline become operational in the next two years. “ It is good for soil health as liquid nutrient will be used through foliar sprays and, fortunately, drone technology has also arrived simultaneously boosting the possibility of rapid adoption by farmers. However, new technology will take some time as many farmers may want to observe its impact for one season,” said a former agriculture commissioner.

Even though the production of nano urea was 2.9 crore bottles (of 500 ml each), IFFCO could sell 2.15 crore bottles during August-March 2021-22. The cooperative had produced 43.61 lt of urea, 26.87 lt of DAP and 43.42 lt of complex fertilisers last year.

IFFCO intends to set up five additional facilities across the country in the next 12-22 months to increase the availability. Besides, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) plan to make their nano urea plants operational by July 2024. The government has also been asking IFFCO to transfer the technology to another PSU - Brahmaputra Valley Fertilisers Company Limited (BVFCL) for free of cost.

Nano urea has been developed for the first time in the world by IFFCO and the government allowed its usage in February, 2021. Nano urea contains nitrogen particles of 20-50 nanometre size. This is very small in size and one conventional urea prill, with the average thickness of which is 2.8 mm, equals 55,000 nano urea particles in size. One bottle of 500 ml costs ₹240 whereas the conventional subsidized urea is ₹266.5 per 45-kg bag.

HBL