IFFCO starts production of commercial Nano Urea Liquid

New Delhi

On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) dispatched its first consignment of Nano Urea Liquid to Uttar Pradesh for farmers’ use.

IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid is a novel smart fertilizer developed for the first time in the world by a patented technology of IFFCO at its Nano Biotechnology Research Centre, Kalol, Gujarat. The product was introduced on 31 May 2021 by Dr US Awasthi, MD, IFFCO, during the 50th annual general body meeting of its RGB members at IFFCO Head Office, New Delhi. The green flag-off ceremony was done at Kalol on June 5.                                                                        

Dilip Shangani, Vice Chairman, IFFCO, said that “IFFCO Nano Urea is a product of the 21st century and it is the need of the hour to keep the environment — soil, air and water — safe for future generations while securing food for all.” 

The process of construction of Nano Urea plants at IFFCO’s units at Kalol (in Gujarat) and Aonla and Phulpur (in Uttar Pradesh) has already been initiated by IFFCO. In Phase I, the annual production capacity of 14 crore bottles is being installed, which would be ramped to additional 18 crore bottles in Phase II by the year 2023. These 32 crore bottles are expected to potentially replace 1.37 crore MT of urea by the year 2023.

IFFCO Nano Urea is environment-friendly

The loss of nutrients from fields by way of leaching and gaseous emissions has been contributing to environmental pollution and climate change. This can be reduced by the application of Nano Urea, which has no residual effect. Urea forms 82% of the total nitrogenous fertilizers consumed in India and it has recorded an exponential increase in consumption over the years. It is expected that urea consumption will touch 35 million MT during 2020-21.

Around 30-50% of nitrogen from urea is utilized by plants and the rest gets wasted due to quick chemical transformation as a result of leaching, volatilization and run-off, thereby resulting in low use efficiency. The excess application of urea contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in the form of nitrous oxide, which leads to global warming.

Nano Urea Liquid, on the other hand, is an environment-friendly, smart fertilizer with high nutrient use efficiency and a sustainable solution for curtailing pollution and reduction in global warming in the long run as it reduces the emissions of nitrous oxide and doesn’t contaminate soil, air and water bodies. Thus, it becomes a promising alternative to conventional urea.

The size of one IFFCO Nano Urea particle is about 30 nanometres (1nm is one-billionth of a metre), and when compared to conventional granular urea, it has about 10,000 times more surface area to volume size. Further, due to the ultra-small size and surface properties of Nano Urea, it gets absorbed by the plants when sprayed on their leaves. Upon penetration, these nanoparticles reach the plant parts where nitrogen is required and release nutrients in a controlled manner.

Nano Urea Liquid addresses environmental concerns caused currently by conventional urea such as emission of greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, ammonia emission, acidification of soil and eutrophication in water bodies. It is required in lesser measure compared to the conventional urea fertilizer to fulfil a plant’s nitrogen requirement. All-India efficacy trials on over 40 crops by ICAR research institutes, State Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and farmers at more than 11,000 locations have demonstrated that Nano Urea increases crop productivity and can reduce the requirement of conventional urea by 50%. Further, the application of Nano Urea Liquid improves yield, biomass, soil health and nutritional quality of the produce.

Nano Urea has been tested for biosafety and toxicity as per the guidelines of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, and international guidelines developed by OECD which are adopted and accepted globally. Nano Urea Liquid is completely safe for humans, animals, birds, rhizosphere organisms and the environment at the recommended levels of application.

IFFCO Nano Urea is a giant step towards sustainable agriculture and food systems with a step towards precision and smart farming. This has the potential to revolutionize the entire agriculture sector across the world.