State of Biofertilizers and Organic Fertilizers in India

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, published this report titled State of Biofertilizers and Organic Fertilizers in India on April 20, 2022. CSE is a research organisation working towards sustainable and equitable development across India. Written by Amit Khurana and Vineet Kumar from CSE, this report studies the quality of soil across India through samples tested between 2015-2016 and 2018-2019. The report states that the soil in India lacks micronutrients (such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus) and organic carbon. The widespread use of chemical fertilizers across India is the primary reason for this depletion in the soil’s natural nutrients. India was the second largest producer and consumer of chemical fertilizers in the world in 2019 with urea accounting for about 50 per cent of the total chemical fertilizers used. In this context, the report reviews the benefits of using organic fertilizers and biofertilizers. The 88-page publication is divided into seven chapters: State of Indian soil (Chapter 1); Chemical fertilizers–consumption and subsidy (Chapter 2); Biofertilizers and organic fertilizers–policy and programmes (Chapter 3); Biofertilizers–production and quality (Chapter 4); Organic fertilizers–production and quality (Chapter 5); Barriers in the promotion of biofertilizers and organic fertilizers (Chapter 6); Recommendations and the way ahead (Chapter 7).