Decoding modalities, challenges of transition to organic fertilisers

NEW DELHI The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for a bouquet of schemes, with a total outlay of Rs.3.70 lakh crore, which aim to boost sustainable farming by promoting alternatives to chemical fertilisers. The Cabinet approved ₹1,451.84 crore for a Market Development Assistance scheme for promoting organic fertilisers from Gobardhan plants, which are supposed to produce fertilisers such as fermented organic manures or FOM, liquid FOM, phosphate-rich organic manures or PROM produced as a by-product from biogas plants and compressed biogas. However, strong demand for organic foods should serve the sector for organic fertilisers well with the right policies, according to analyst Saurabh Patil of S&P Ltd. During 2021-22, there was a significant increase in organic agricultural land in India with 4.73 million hectares of land under organic farming. “On the other hand, organic fertiliser adoption is low due to the price difference compared to conventional fertilisers and a lack of demand for certified organic products.”