In a historic initiative to bring a new revolution in the farming sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the world's first Liquid Nano Urea will be introduced to the farmers of the region which will enhance crop yield while maintaining soil quality and protecting the environment.
Taking a giant leap in the agriculture sector and adopting environment-friendly farming practices across the Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first consignment of IFFCO’s Nano Urea (Liquid) from Kalol area of Gujarat, through virtual mode on Tuesday.
The world's first Liquid Nano Urea will enhance crop yield, protect crops from seasonal damage while maintaining soil quality. The initiative is aimed at saving the environment and keeping the soil of the agricultural fields fertile.
The 15,000 bottles of Liquid Nano Urea dispatched for farmers of J&K from Gujarat will be equivalent to about 675 metric tonnes of conventional urea. 7500 bottles each will be distributed to both divisions of J&K.
"I express my heartfelt gratitude to the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi for encouraging the agricultural scientists and farmers, for the last many years, to reduce the use of urea. His vision has made this into a reality, which will bring reforms in the agriculture sector of J&K," Sinha said while inviting IFFCO to establish a Nano Urea plant in the UT.
While highlighting the immense scope of growth in the agriculture sector of the UT, the Lt Governor observed that with the introduction of Liquid Nano Urea to the farmers of the UT, J&K’s agriculture sector can contribute to the Prime Minister's campaign for self-reliant India.
In Jammu and Kashmir, along with the promotion of traditional agriculture, horticulture, emphasis is being laid on value addition farming, so that the farmers get a fair price for their crops. As much as 70 per cent of the population in the UT is dependent on agriculture. The liquid Nano Urea can bring about a new revolution in the farming sector, especially to those farmers who are involved in traditional and high value crops.
Now, only half a litre of liquid nano urea will replace one sack of manure. There are many such hill farms in many districts, where farmers have to travel several kilometers to reach their agriculture fields. Instead of carrying a bag of urea, now the farmers have to carry only half a litre bottle of urea.
The excessive use of urea is resulting in making the soil barren across the country. It has not only affected the nitrogen cycle but also harms the environment and people's health. Initially, many farmers may get benefitted due to its excessive use, but later the same urea destroys the fertility of the fields, Sinha said.
The Liquid Nano Urea will also subsequently bring down the cost of farming. Cost of one bottle of this urea is 10 per cent less than that of a 45 kg bag of urea. Since, Nano Urea does not require subsidy, the government will save about Rs 27,000 crore, besides providing a benefit of Rs 28,000 crore to the farmers by reducing their cost on agriculture.
"In 2017, PM Modi had said that when India celebrates 75th anniversary of Independence in 2022, we should reduce the use of urea by half. I sincerely hope and believe that the way IFFCO is working on the call of the Prime Minister, soon we will be successful in realizing his vision," said the Lt Governor.
