The role of fertilizers as one of the three critical inputs for agricultural crops production and productivity is well recognized. For agrarian economies, fertilizers have been, for decades, the ‘silent engine’ of food security.  

The ongoing military action in the Persian Gulf region and resultant disruption to supply chains exposes the vulnerability of fertilizer import-dependent countries including ours. Simply put, the importance of soil and plant nutrients is centered not just on volume but also on strategic autonomy.  

To be honest, this is not the first time that our country is facing fertilizer supply chain disruption. Four years ago, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out and the Black Sea region faced shipping blockade, supplies of fertilizer, among many other commodities, from Russia were disrupted.

Actually, a handful of countries control the majority of the world’s fertilizer exports. Russia and Belarus are dominant in potash, while China is a major exporter of urea and phosphate. When conflict or export restrictions occur in these regions, global food prices spike almost immediately. We witnessed it in the 2022-2023 global food crisis. 

Therefore, as the world’s second largest consumer of fertilizers, India must treat reduction in import dependence as a critical pillar of food security.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) are key fertilizers for agricultural crops and their combination ensures soil health and crop growth. The ideal ratio of NPK is 4 : 2 : 1. Historically, however, there has been an imbalance because of excessive use of urea. This degrades soil health over time.   

Natural gas is the feedstock for synthetic nitrogenous fertilizer in the form of urea in which currently our import dependence is about 15%. The near-closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz through which 60%of LNG shipments pass has disrupted established supply chains, delayed deliveries and pushed up the cost.     

On the other hand, our import dependence for phosphorus (di-ammonium phosphate - DAP) is about 60% and potassium (Muriate of Potash - MoP) is 100%. 

From a food security perspective, fertilizers are at the intersection of the ‘Food versus Fuel’ debate going on last two decades. As renewables, biofuels are gradually moving towards the centre of energy security in this age of energy transition. 

As more crops (like sugarcane; and grains including maize, wheat; and oil-bearing materials like soybean and palm) are diverted for production of biofuels (ethanol or biodiesel), the demand for fertilizers increases. This potentially drives up the cost of inputs for food crops, raising the cost of production, especially for smallholders.  

There is need to intensify the promotion of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through the combined use of inorganic fertilizers and organic sources such as manure, compost, green manure, bio-fertilizers and crop residue recycling. These help maintain soil health and reduce chemical fertilizer dependency.

It is time India decisively moved toward smarter, greener, indigenous fertilizers. Bio-fertilizers utilize microbes and fungi to help plants fix nitrogen naturally from air or soil. Nano fertilizers use nanotechnology to create slow-release nutrients that improve uptake efficiency. 

Recovering phosphorus and nitrogen from livestock manure and human waste is also possible. Precision agriculture that uses modern technology helps apply the exact amount of fertilizers and reduces waste.

It is critical that fertilizer security is seen as a strategic imperative in the midst of our extant triple challenges of land constraints, water shortage and climate change. Our cropping intensity (cultivation in three seasons - Kharif, Rabi and Summer harvests) depletes soil nutrients rapidly. This makes external replenishment in the form of fertilizers essential to ensure sustained output.  

India needs sustained growth in sustainable ways to ensure food security for its burgeoning population with ravenous appetite. The triumvirate of inputs – seeds, fertilizers and agro-chemicals – are central to this thesis. In a rather interesting analogy for this in the Hindu mythology, the three inputs represent the Trimurti.

Seed is Brahma the life-giver; fertilizer is Vishnu, the life nurturer; and Shiva represents agro-chemicals the destroyer of pests and insects in crops. Together, all three embody the (crop) life cycle.