India’s Home Minister Amit Shah launched a revolutionary product on Wednesday, the “world’s first liquid nano DAP (Di-Ammonia Phosphate) fertiliser”. Manufactured by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), this liquid DAP will help farmers reduce production costs and wean them off chemical fertilisers. IFFCO owns a patent on its nano urea and nano DAP, and the cooperative will get royalties for the product for the next 20 years. The Agriculture Ministry authorised IFFCO's nano DAP fertiliser and announced it in the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) in March of this year.
The liquid nano DAP is being hailed as a game-changer for the Indian agricultural sector. One 500 ml bottle of liquid DAP contains 8% of Nitrogen and 16% of Phosphorus, making it an ideal replacement for a 50 kg bag of traditional DAP. While one 50 kg DAP bag costs farmers INR 1,350, the 500 ml liquid DAP bottle will only cost them INR 600, reducing production costs for farmers. The new liquid DAP will also help ease the burden on the government’s exchequer as it will not be subsidised like conventional urea. The government is expected to spend INR 2.25 lakh crore in FY 2024 on fertiliser subsidies.
The nano DAP will help farmers reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers, thereby enhancing the quality and quantity of their produce. Reduced production costs and increased output will greatly boost the annual income of Indian farmers. According to Amit Shah, IFFCO is expected to manufacture 18 crore bottles of nano DAP by 2025–2026, which will reduce the consumption of 90 lakh tonnes of traditional DAP. Manufacturing facilities have been established in Kalol, Kandla in Gujarat, and Paradeep in Orissa for the production of nano DAP fertilisers. Production at the Kalol Plant has already started, and this year will see the production of 5 crore bottles of nano-DAP liquid or 25 lakh tonnes of DAP.
The liquid nano DAP is not a substitute for conventional urea. Shah recommended that farmers use the new nano liquid DAP in place of conventional urea but not use both at the same time. The step towards making India self-reliant in the field of fertilisers is an important one, and the launch of IFFCO's liquid DAP nano is a game-changer for the Indian agricultural sector.
