Amid a supply crisis due to the war in West Asia, the government is considering rationing sales of heavily-subsidised fertilisers to farmers, using the Agristack platform — estimating requirement by mapping it against the holdings and sowing patterns of the 92 million farmers whose details are in the repository. At present, the fertiliser inventory stands at 18 million tonnes, against an estimated demand of 39 million tonnes for summer sowing. With uncertainty on how long the war will continue, it
Amid a supply crisis due to the war in West Asia, the government is considering rationing sales of heavily-subsidised fertilisers to farmers, using the Agristack platform — estimating requirement by mapping it against the holdings and sowing patterns of the 92 million farmers whose details are in the repository. At present, the fertiliser inventory stands at 18 million tonnes, against an estimated demand of 39 million tonnes for summer sowing. With uncertainty on how long the war will continue, it is perhaps best that the government and farmers plan ahead. But, beyond the immediate supply crisis, Agristack mapping could be an effective way to curb fertiliser overuse and misuse such as illegal diversion for non-farm purposes.
The consequences of fertiliser overuse in the country — severe soil degradation (high levels of acidification and salinity, reduced natural fertility of soil), environmental pollution (eutrophication of water bodies, contamination of groundwater) and the rising subsidy burden — have been evident for some time now. Illegal diversion for industrial usage and cross-border smuggling, owing to the massive price differentials, has long been a pain for the government as well. Steps such as neem-coating of urea have substantially reduced diversion, but have struggled to address this fully with the proliferation of cheap, high-efficiency de-coating techniques.
Against this backdrop, a multi-front approach can help curb persistent abuse of subsidised fertilisers. So, while measures such as neem-coated urea and a gradual shift from product-based subsidies to direct benefits transfer are still necessary, the need is to also map requirements against holdings and sowing patterns. The government should roll out Agristack mapping for fertiliser sales in perpetuity, and not let it merely be a crisis-time measure.
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