IFFCO starts production of commercial Nano Urea Liquid

• First dispatch to farmers in UP on World Environment Day

Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) dispatched its first consignment of Nano Urea Liquid (NUL) to Uttar Pradesh for farmers use on the occasion of World Environment Day. IFFCO NUL is a novel smart fertilizer developed for the first time in the world by a patented technology of IFFCO at its Nano Biotechnology Research Center, Kalol, Gujarat. 

Dr U S Awasthi, MD, IFFCO introduced the product during the 50th annual general body meeting of its RGB members at IFFCO head office, New Delhi on May 31. The 'Green flag-off' ceremony was done at Kalol, Gujarat on June 6.                                                                        

Dilip Shangani, vice-chairman, IFFCO said IFFCO Nano Urea is a product of the 21stcentury and it is the need of the hour to keep the environment–soil, air and water safe for the future generations while securing food for all. 

IFFCO has already initiated the process of construction of nano urea plants at IFFCO’s units at Kalol (in Gujarat) and Aonla and Phulpur (in Uttar Pradesh). In phase-I, the annual production capacity of 14 crore bottles is being installed and this will be ramped to additional 18 crore bottles in phase–II by 2023. These 32 crore bottles are expected to potentially replace 1.37 crore MT of urea by 2023.

IFFCO NANO UREA IS ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY

Loss of nutrients from fields by way of leaching and gaseous emissions have been contributing to environmental pollution and climate change, this can be reduced by the application of Nano Urea which has no residual effect. Urea forms 82 % of the total nitrogenous fertilisers consumed in India and it has recorded an exponential increase in consumption over the years. 

It is expected that urea consumption will touch 35 million MT during 2020-21. Around 30-50 % of Nitrogen from Urea is utilised by plants and the rest gets wasted due to quick chemical transformation as a result of leaching, volatilization and runoff, thereby low use efficiency. 

The excess application of urea contributes to the greenhouse gas in form of nitrous oxide lead to global warming. NUL is an environmentally friendly, smart fertilizer with high nutrient use efficiency and a sustainable solution for curtailing pollution and reduction in global warming in the long run as it reduces the emissions of nitrous oxide and does not contaminate soil, air and water bodies. Thus, NUL is a promising alternative to conventional urea.

The size of one IFFCO Nano Urea particle is about 30 nanometre (1 nm is one-billionth of a meter), and when compared to the conventional urea it has about 10,000 times more surface area to volume size when compared to granular urea. Further, due to the ultra-small size and surface properties of nano urea, it gets absorbed by the plants when sprayed on their leaves. Upon penetration, these nanoparticles reach plant parts where nitrogen is required and release nutrients in a controlled manner.

NUL addresses environmental concerns caused currently by conventional urea such as emission of greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, ammonia emission, acidification of soil and eutrophication in water bodies. It is required in lesser measure compared to the conventional urea fertiliser to fulfil the plant’s nitrogen requirement. 

IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid Bottle

All India efficacy trials on over 40 crops by ICAR research institutes, State Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and Farmers at more than 11,000 locations have demonstrated that nano urea increases crop productivity and can reduce the requirement of conventional Urea by 50%. Further, the application of nano urea (liquid) improves yield, biomass, soil health and nutritional quality of the produce.

Nano urea has been tested for biosafety and toxicity as per the guidelines of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India and international guidelines developed by OECD which are adopted and accepted globally. NUL is completely safe for human, animals, birds, rhizosphere organisms and the environment at the recommended levels of application.

IFFCO nano urea is a giant step towards sustainable agriculture and food systems with a step towards precision and smart farming. This has the potential to revolutionize the entire agriculture Sector across the world.