There is no proposal to make use of bio-fertilizers compulsory along-with the urea. However, use of bio-fertilizer is recommended under Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) strategies and organic farming for use in all crops.
Bio-fertilizers are live microbial products which does not contain any nutrients. The micro-organisms present in the bio-fertilizer ensure availability of nutrients from non-available form present within soil and air to available form which plants can uptake. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed improved and efficient strains of bio-fertilizers specific to different crops and soil types under All India Network Project (AINP) on Soil Biodiversity-Bio-fertilizers and informed that Bio-fertilizers can improve crop yields by 10-25% and supplement costly chemical fertilizers (N, P) by nearly 20-25% in most of the cases when used along with chemical fertilizers without any reduction in production.
11 bio-fertilizers namely; Rhizobium, Azotobactor, Azospirillum, Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria, Mycorrhizal Bio-fertilisers, Potassium Mobilizing Bio-fertilizers (KMB) Zinc Solubilizing Biofertilizers (ZSB) Acetobactor, Carrier Based Consortia, Liquid Consortia , and Phosphate Solubilising Fungus have been notified and included into the Fertilizer (Control) Order, 1985. The quality standards of these bio-fertilizers have been specified under the FCO, 1985.
At present, there is no such proposal to transfer the subsidy on urea to the farmers and not the manufacturers
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
