Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda flags off nano urea dispatch to Karnataka

• IFFCO to set up Nano Urea production plant in Karnataka soon

Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on June 12 flagged off Nano Urea dispatch to Karnataka. The minister also promised IFFCO to award land to start a nano urea production unit near Bengaluru airport. The use of nano urea by the farmers will not only improve soil health, and crop productivity but will also reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.

“It is a momentous occasion for India where IFFCO is working towards realizing Prime Minister’s dream of Aatmnirbhar Bharat and Aatmnirbhar Krishi. We will give you land near the airport in Bengaluru from where IFFCO can produce nano urea from Karnataka,” Gowda said while flagging off NanoUrea dispatch to Karnataka.

Union Chemicals & Fertiliser Minister D V Sadananda Gowda Flags Off Dispatch Of Nano Urea TO Karnataka. Pic: Courtesy: @DVSadanandaGowda (Twitter)

Earlier IFFCO had requested the minister to provide it with land for a plant in Karnataka where nano urea and nano DAP could be produced for the southern parts of India.

U S Awasthi, managing director, IFFCO said the Kalol plant is dispatching one truck with 15000 bottles of nano urea per day and soon the plant would dispatch 10 trucks every day. The Kalol plant is producing 6750 tonne equivalent of urea per day, which will result in saving ₹35,000 crore of the Government’s subsidy burden and in turn help farmers earn an additional ₹35000 crore.

The plant has started trials of producing Nano Urea and Nano DAP from this Kharif crop and IFFCO is very hopeful of success, post which the plant will produce both nano urea and nano DAP, said Awasthi. Brijesh Kumar Dikshit, commissioner of agriculture, the government of Karnataka, BS Nakai, chairman IFFCO, and Dileep Sanghani, Vice Chairman, IFFCO were present during the virtual flag off. 

Union Chemicals & Fertiliser Minister D V Sadananda Gowda At The Virtual Flagging Off Ceremony For Dispatch Of Nano Urea To Karnataka. Pic: Courtesy: @DVSadanandaGowda (Twitter)

14 CRORE BOTTLES IN PHASE I

IFFCO had earlier dispatched nano urea shipments to Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The stocks were sold within half an hour. IFFCO is already in the process of construction of its plants at its Kalol unit in Gujarat and also at Aonla and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh in phase- I by 2021-22. The total annual production capacity would be initially 14 crore bottles of 500 ml, which will further be raised to 18 crore bottles.

In Phase-II, four more plants will be commissioned by 2022-23, producing another 18 crore bottles. These non-subsidised bottles will be sold to the farmers, without any subsidy, at a price 10% lower than the price of a 45-kg urea bag. The use of this product will reduce chemical fertilizer consumption especially of urea by 50% or more.

Nano Urea has been tested on over 11000 locations, 94 crops and 20 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes and state agricultural universities. The results showed that nano urea is very useful in increasing crop yield but also the nutritional quality.

It is very easy to use by the farmers. One 500 ml bottle of Nano Urea is sufficient for spraying two times over an acre of field. Now, instead of carrying a 45 kg bag of urea on the shoulder, a farmer can easily carry a 500 ml bottle of IFFCO nano urea to the fields.