On April 15, 2026, in New Delhi, The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) hosted a Brainstorming session (BSS) to lay out a plan for achieving self-reliance in fertilizers, known as Atmanirbharta. Representatives from various Government departments, Academia, Fertilizer Industry, and Farmers took part in the discussions and strongly expressed the importance of self-reliance in the fertilizer sector.
Following the session, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Research and Education under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, along with the DG of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the President of NAAS, Dr. M.L. Jat, held a press conference. Dr. Jat stated that India aims to achieve self-reliance by 2047, with the agricultural sector playing a crucial role. While fertilizers were key in the Green Revolution, the current challenge lies in their declining efficiency and indiscriminate use.
Dr. Jat highlighted the need to reduce import dependency, as India consumes about 33 million tonnes of fertilizers annually, with a significant portion being imported. He stressed the importance of initiatives such as Soil Health, balanced fertilizer application, and farmer awareness in addressing this issue.
It was suggested during the brainstorming session to adopt a multi-pronged strategy with short, medium, and long-term research and development goals to strengthen fertilizer research. The roadmap should focus on developing smart alternate fertilizers, utilizing indigenous minerals and industrial by-products, increasing the use of biological sources, and improving nutrient management.
A consensus was reached among the representatives that a shift in fertilizer policies is necessary. This includes bringing urea under nutrient-based subsidy, linking subsidies to soil health cards, and exploring direct cash transfers to farmers. The need to increase the adoption of best agricultural practices and address the deficiencies in soil and crops due to underuse of expensive fertilizers was also emphasized.
The Green Revolution significantly transformed India’s agriculture, moving from food scarcity to self-sufficiency. Fertilizers played a central role in this transformation but the sector remains import-dependent, especially for phosphorus and potassium, leading to high subsidies and low nutrient-use efficiency.
In 2024-25, India’s fertilizer subsidy burden reached around 1.71 lakh crore, highlighting the challenges faced by the sector. Inefficient and imbalanced fertilizer use further adds to the production costs and contributes to soil and water degradation. The recent developments in West Asia have underscored the importance of rethinking policies and priorities towards achieving self-reliance in fertilizers.
