India’s fertiliser strategy must integrate conventional and new-age nutrients to boost crop yields. While mineral fertilisers remain essential, consumption of water-soluble fertilisers grew 5.7 times between 2011-12 and 2024-25. The government now supports this shift with subsidies for fortified products, helping farmers improve soil health and manage nutrient imbalances effectively.
India's fertiliser strategy must, therefore, evolve from a question of choosing between conventional and new-age fertilisers to one of integrating both.
India's agricultural journey has been closely linked to advances in farm inputs. From high-yielding seeds and irrigation to mechanisation, crop protection and fertilisers, technological progress has enabled agriculture to keep pace with rising requirements for food, feed, fibre and fuel. Mineral fertilisers alone are estimated to contribute 40-50% of the increase in crop yields. However, Indian agriculture is now confronting a different set of challenges: declining soil organic carbon, nutrient imbalance, low fertiliser and water-use efficiency, depletion of micronutrients, resource stress and the growing impact of climate change.
The answer is not to move away from conventional fertilisers, which remain essential to food security, but to supplement and complement them with new-age fertilisers and better agronomic practices. India already has a wide range of innovative products notified under the Fertiliser Control Order, including water soluble, micronutrient, bio fortified, customised, and organic fertilisers, bio-stimulants and nano-fertilisers. The opportunity now is to improve their adoption through greater awareness, appropriate agronomic advice, and a supportive policy ecosystem.
Water-soluble fertilisers (WSFs) demonstrate this potential. Their consumption in India increased around 5.7 times between 2011-12 and 2024-25, alongside the expansion of micro-irrigation from 6.1 million hectares in 2012 to 16.7 million hectares in 2024. Yet, WSFs account for only 0.6% of total fertiliser consumption, indicating considerable headroom for growth, as precision agriculture, drip irrigation, and protected cultivation expand.
Liquid fertilisers are another emerging opportunity. Consumption increased from 422,156 litres in 2022-23 to 762,450 litres in 2024-25, an increase of nearly 81% in three years. Similarly, micronutrient management is becoming increasingly important, as continuous crop removal without adequate replenishment depletes soil reserves. India consumed around 333.5 thousand tonnes of micronutrients in 2024-25, with zinc sulphate accounting for 63.5%, followed by ferrous sulphate, boron-based fertilisers, manganese sulphate, and copper sulphate.
Fortified fertilisers can help address these deficiencies through more targeted nutrient applications. In 2025-26, around 52.7% of SSP sold was fortified, with zinc and zinc-plus-boron products accounting for the largest shares. The government's additional subsidy of Rs 500 per tonne for zinc and Rs 300 per tonne for boron fortification under the nutrient-based subsidy framework is a positive step towards encouraging balanced nutrient use.
Soil health also requires greater attention to organic matter and biological activity. With soil organic carbon in India often below 0.5%, bio-fertilisers and organic fertilisers can complement mineral fertilisers by improving nutrient availability, soil biology, and nutrient-use efficiency. Bio-fertilisers include nitrogen fixers, phosphorus solubilisers, potassium mobilisers, zinc solubilisers, and mycorrhizal products. Bio-stimulants offer another avenue by improving root development, nutrient uptake and tolerance to stresses such as drought and salinity.
Nano fertilisers represent another important technological advancement. Products such as nano urea and nano DAP have the potential to improve nutrient-use efficiency while reducing the quantity of conventional fertilisers required. Their targeted delivery can also contribute to lower logistics requirements and potentially reduce the environmental footprint associated with fertiliser use.
The central government's PM-PRANAM initiative provides an important policy framework for promoting alternative nutrients and encouraging more sustainable agricultural practices. Going forward, however, adoption will require a coordinated effort involving governments, fertiliser companies, scientists, extension agencies, and farmers.
India's fertiliser strategy must, therefore, evolve from a question of choosing between conventional and new-age fertilisers to one of integrating both. A balanced nutrient-management approach, supported by precision agriculture and better soil-health practices, can improve nutrient-use efficiency while sustaining productivity.
This is the time for state governments to provide a level playing field to fertiliser companies under PM-PRANAM and enable wider adoption of new-age fertilisers alongside conventional products. The objective must remain clear: producing more with greater efficiency while protecting the soil and resources that will sustain Indian agriculture for generations to come.
The author is the Director General of The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI). Views are personal