Nano urea has been developed for farmers in India.It is set to revolutionise farm production of quality crops.

Features of Nano urea in brief are as follows. 

• Nano urea is a nanotechnology based revolutionary product developed with the inspiration of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Nano Urea effectively fulfils the nitrogen requirement of the plant. It has a  nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of more than 85% With the application of Nano Urea (liquid) on all crops, the injudicious use of chemical fertilizers like urea can be reduced by 50%.

• One bottle of Nano Urea is equivalent to one bag of urea. Its application can effectively lead to reduction in soil, water and air pollution which happens due to overuse of chemical fertilizers both at production and consumption levels.

• Field efficacy of nano fertilizers was established through Research trials with 20 ICAR research institutes/State agricultural universities across 43 locations on 13 crops undertaken since 2019-20 under different agro climatic regions. 11,000 farmer field trials on 94 crops were also conducted in collaboration with Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)- Krishi  Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) which showed 8% increase in crop yield with foliar application of Nano urea.

• Nano fertilizers were validated for bio-safety and bio-toxicity as per the “Guidelines for Evaluation of Nanobased Agri Input and Food Products in India” of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt of India.

• Nano urea (Liquid) had been provisionally notified under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO, 1985) on 24thFeb, 2021.

Commercial Production of Nano Urea

• The commercial production of Nano Urea commenced on 01st August, 2021.

• To boost the indigenous production of Nano Urea, two Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) namely National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and RashtriyaChemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF) has signed Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) & Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IFFCO to transfer the technology of Nano Urea . The details of eight NanoUrea plants are as under:-

• By 2025, through 8 urea plant we will produce 44 crores Nano Urea Bottles per annum which will be equivalent to 200 LMT of conventional urea.

• Government will save Foreign Exchange of Rs. 40000 crore approximately per annum. 

• With the introduction of Nano Urea, the import of Urea may not be required after 2023-24.

• The introduction of New plants in this sector will truly revolutionize the Urea Sector making agriculture in India “Atmanirbhar” thus reducing dependence in Urea.

Benefit of Nano Urea

• Nano urea is eco-friendly as it leads to less soil, air and water pollution. It is also safe for human, Flora and Fauna. Due to targeted foliage application, there is no wastage of Nano urea. 

• Nano Urea is cost and energy effective and resource friendly. 

• Nano Urea leads to increase in farmers’ income due to:​​

➢ Reduction in Input Cost​

➢ Higher Crop Yield​​

➢ Better Price because of better Quality crop.​​

• Average of Rs. 4000/- per acre increases in the income of Farmers by using Nano Urea. 

• When Nano Urea is used, the nutritional quality of harvested produce is better in terms of protein and nutrient content​

• It will reduce the transportation cost and will benefit to small farmers immensely.

Promotion of Nano Urea

• Use of Nano Urea is being promoted through awareness camps, webinars, nuked nataks, field demonstrations, kisan sammelans and films in regional languages etc. DoF has prepared a movie on Nano Urea in English, Hindi and four other regional languages to promote the use of Nano Urea.

• Department of Fertilizers has also issued guidelines for development of entrepreneurs for drone spraying of liquid fertilizers. With the help of Department of Fertilizer, 228 agriculture spray drone pilots have been trained to spray the nano urea through Drone. They can earn approx. Rs. 46000 per month. It will also generate rural employment.

• Nano Urea is widely being accepted by the farmers. It is noted approximately 390 Lakh Nano Urea bottles have been dispatched to different parts of country. Out of which 287 Lakh Nano Urea have been sold out which is equivalent to approx. 13 LMT of Conventional Urea.

• A statement regarding State-wise Dispatch & Sales of Nano Urea (in Bottles) as on 30th June, 2022 is annexed.