To attend the Fertilizer Association of India annual conference, Terje Knutsen, EVP, Crop Nutrition of the Oslo-based specialty fertilizer major Yara International ASA, was here.
Knutsen shares his thoughts on why he thinks India needs to correct its policies in crop nutrition sector. One of our key concerns is that registration processes for introduction of new fertilizers should become time and cost-efficient so that Indian farmers have timely access to new products. This will help raise productivity and make Indian agriculture globally competitive.
The environmental damage caused by the inappropriate use of fertilizers is certainly a matter of serious concern in many states. Farmers have had the tendency to use more urea since it is subsidized heavily.
The deterioration in fertilizer mix will not only have an impact on productivity of crops but also on long-term soil health. As a consequence, over the years, there has been a decline in the fertilizer response ratio also.
By adopting balanced crop nutrition, there is a huge possibility to optimize yield, maximize output and farmer income, as well as minimizing the negative environmental impact.
Yara has a long history in India and has supplied fertilizers as well as fertilizer raw materials to the Indian market for more than two decades. Since the late 1990’s, Yara has partnered with some of the leading Indian fertilizer companies to meet the demand for specialty fertilizers from the horticulture crops segment. In India, initially Yara was marketing calcium nitrate through leading fertilizer companies like Tata Chemicals, Shriram, and Nagarjuna.
In Brazil and India, the agricultural sector plays a crucial role in the overall economy and both countries rank high as agricultural producers with favorable climate and farmland available.
Source:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
