Tata Chemicals launches customised fertiliser

The Hindubusinessline -New Delhi, Nov. 22

Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL), on Monday, announced the launch of ‘Paras Farmoola', the country's first ever customised fertiliser product specifically targeted at farmers in western-central Uttar Pradesh (UP).

“The first truckload has already been despatched to the trade for use by wheat farmers this rabi season. We hope this will encourage others to also come out with products customised for specific crops and regions,” Mr R. Mukundan, Managing Director, TCL, told presspersons here.

Deepak Fertilisers, Nagarjuna Fertilisers & Chemicals and Coromandel International are among those which propose to introduce customised fertiliser formulations.

TCL's first ‘Paras Farmoola' offering – designed for wheat grown in the Agra, Meerut, Bareilly, Moradabad and Kanpur commissionerates – contains 10 per cent nitrogen (N), 18 per cent phosphorus (P), 25 per cent potash (K), 3 per cent sulphur (S) and 0.5 per cent zinc.

“Wheat farmers now apply one 50 kg bag of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) costing around Rs 500, half-a-bag of muriate of potash (MOP) costing Rs 130 and 10 kg of zinc sulphate (ZnS) costing Rs 400 on every acre at the time of sowing. Besides, they use two bags of urea (Rs 265 each) while irrigating the standing crop. The total cost of fertilisers comes to roughly Rs 1,560 an acre, against which they obtain an average yield of 12 quintals,” noted Mr B.B. Singh, General Manager (Business Development), TCL.

With the customised fertiliser, the farmer can do away with DAP, MOP or ZnS and, instead, just apply four bags of ‘Paras Farmoola' (costing Rs 600 each) as a basal dose, followed by the usual two bags of urea.

“The total fertiliser cost here works out higher (at Rs 2,930). But then, the farmer will get 22 quintals an acre, with this additional 10 quintals worth over Rs 11,000,” claimed Mr Singh.

In the pipeline

TCL would be launching a similar customised product for sugarcane farmers of western-central UP next month, containing 7 per cent N, 20 per cent P, 18 per cent K, 6 per cent S and 0.5 per cent zinc. This would also be priced at Rs 600 a bag to the farmer.

“Cane growers in the region now use as many as four bags of DAP, two bags of MOP, 10 kg of ZnS and three bags of urea and get 25-26 tonnes an acre. We are recommending just four bags of Paras Farmoola and three bags of urea for obtaining 35 tonnes. In this case, the farmer not only harvests a higher yield, but also saves on fertiliser cost,” Mr Singh added.

Two more plants

For manufacturing the customised fertilisers, TCL has set up a Rs 60-crore 130,000 tonnes per annum facility at its existing urea unit at Babrala in UP, with technology sourced from A.J. Sackett of the US. The company intends to establish two more plants, involving a total outlay of Rs 110 crore, in West Bengal and UP.

Customised fertiliser manufacture basically involves mixing and crushing of urea, DAP, MOP, ZnS, bentonite sulphur and boron granules for obtaining the desired proportion of N, P, K, S and micronutrients. The mixture is subjected to steam injection, drying, sieving and cooling, so as to get a uniform product with every grain having the same nutrient composition.

Customised fertilisers are currently not covered under the Centre's nutrient based subsidy (NBS) regime. Companies, however, are entitled to claim subsidy on the urea, DAP and MOP used in their manufacture. “If the idea to deliver nutrients to crops, there is no reason why the NBS should not be extended to customised fertilisers,” noted Mr Satish Chander, Director-General, Fertiliser Association of India.