Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Taking a giant leap in the agriculture sector and adopting environment-friendly farming practices across the Union Territory, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday flagged off the first consignment of IFFCO’s Nano Urea (Liquid) from Kalol area of Gujarat, through virtual mode.

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to 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 Jammu and Kashmir,” added the Lieutenant Governor.
Sinha also congratulated Dr U S Awasthi, Managing Director, IFFCO and his entire team members for developing the world’s first Liquid Nano Urea, which will enhance crop yield, protect crops from seasonal damage while maintaining soil quality.

“It was informed that 15,000 bottles of Liquid Nano Urea are leaving Kalol, Gujarat for the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir. Out of this, 7500 bottles will be distributed to the Jammu division and 7500 to the farmers of the Kashmir division. The total consignment of liquid nano-urea will be equivalent to 675 metric tonnes of conventional urea,” read the release.

While highlighting the immense scope of growth in the agriculture sector of the Union Territory and the impact the new initiative will bring in the sector, Sinha observed that with the introduction of Liquid Nano Urea to the farmers of the Union Territory, J-K’s agriculture sector can contribute to Prime Minister’s campaign for self-reliant India.

“70 percent population of the UT is dependent on agriculture. This liquid Nano Urea can bring about a new revolution in the farming sector of J&K,” said the Lt Governor.

Citing the positives of the use of Liquid Nano Urea, the Lt Governor maintained that it will bring a reformative change in farming practices and benefit the farmers, especially those 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,” he added.

“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,” the Lt Governor said.

On the financial aspects of the new initiative, the Lt Governor observed that the Liquid Nano Urea will subsequently bring down the cost of farming.

“The cost of one bottle of this urea is 10 per cent less than that of a 45 kg of urea bag. 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,” he added.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor also added that the Jammu and Kashmir government is intended to increase the productivity of Basmati agricultural land.

“The Jammu and Kashmir administration has taken a policy decision for converting 60,000 hectares of Basmati agricultural land into more productive one, and for this, very good quality seeds are also being made available for farmers at cheaper rates,” said the Lt Governor.

“In the current financial year, we have decided that at least 7.5 lakh farmers would be provided good seeds at a cost of Rs 16 crore. In this entire campaign, farmers are being encouraged to switch over to organic farming,” he added.

“To promote agriculture and horticulture in Jammu and Kashmir, this year’s budget has been increased to Rs 2008 crore, which is Rs 695 crore more than the previous year,” he added.

Speaking about the objective behind developing Nano Urea (Liquid), Dr U S Awasthi, Managing Director, IFFCO said it is indigenously developed after many years of dedicated and sincere research of IFFCO’s Scientists and Engineers through a proprietary technology developed at Nano Biotechnology Research Centre, Kalol.

“IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid has been found effective and efficient for plant nutrition. This increases the production with improved nutritional quality, besides having a positive impact on climate change and sustainable development,” he added.