**Executive Summary**
On April 14, 2026, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) held a brainstorming session to develop a roadmap for achieving self-reliance (*Atmanirbharta*) in fertilizers by 2047. The session addressed the urgent need to reduce import dependency and improve nutrient-use efficiency to mitigate a subsidy burden that reached ₹1.71 lakh crore in 2024–25. Key action items include the launch of a Mission Mode Program to replace 25% of mineral fertilizer use with organic manure within the next three years.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Strategic Roadmap for Self-Reliance**
* Development of short, medium, and long-term R&D goals to achieve fertilizer independence by 2047.
* Emphasis on utilizing unexploited indigenous minerals (e.g., glauconite, phosphate rocks, mica) and industrial by-products.
* Focus on increasing Nutrient-Use Efficiency (NUE) to reduce wastage; currently, only 30–50% of nitrogen and 15–25% of phosphorus are utilized by crops.
* **Technological Integration and Innovation**
* Leveraging modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), sensor-based systems, and precision nutrient management.
* Deployment of the "Bharat VISTAAR" AI platform for large-scale technology transfer and farmer awareness.
* Promotion of "smart alternate fertilizers," biological sources, and the exploitation of the soil microbiome.
* **Sustainable Agricultural Practices**
* Implementation of the "Integrated Nutrient Supply and Management" (INSAM) Mission Mode Program.
* Encouraging crop diversification towards pulses and oilseeds and recycling organic waste under the "Waste-to-Wealth" initiative.
* Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and improved composting techniques to restore soil health.
* **Proposed Policy Reforms**
* Shifting urea into the ambit of nutrient-based subsidies to discourage indiscriminate application.
* Linking fertilizer subsidies directly to Soil Health Cards.
* Exploring the transition of subsidy disbursements to farmers via direct cash transfers.
**Impact Analysis**
**Government Departments**
**Impact:** Faced with a high foreign exchange outflow and a massive subsidy burden (₹1.71 lakh crore).
**Action Required:** Launch the INSAM Mission Mode Program, realign R&D priorities towards self-reliance, and implement policy shifts regarding urea subsidies and direct cash transfers.
**Fertilizer Industry**
**Impact:** Necessity to shift from traditional mineral fertilizers toward "smart" and biological alternatives.
**Action Required:** Invest in the development of alternate fertilizers and technologies to utilize indigenous minerals and industrial by-products.
**Farmers**
**Impact:** Currently affected by skewed fertilizer consumption (9.3:3.5:1 ratio) and soil degradation due to imbalanced nutrient use.
**Action Required:** Adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), transition to using 25% organic manure, and utilize digital tools like Bharat VISTAAR for precision management.
**Academia and Research Institutions**
**Impact:** Charged with leading the structural transformation of agricultural inputs.
**Action Required:** Focus research on crop breeding for enhanced NUE, soil health restoration, and the development of sensor-based nutrient management systems.
Key Entities Referenced
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS): The primary body that organized the brainstorming session to develop a strategic roadmap for achieving self-reliance in India's fertilizer sector.
Atmanirbhar Bharat: The national vision and policy framework aiming for self-reliance by 2047, driving the initiative to reduce fertilizer import dependency.
Integrated Nutrient Supply and Management (INSAM): A proposed Mission Mode Program designed to replace at least 25% of mineral fertilizer use with organic manures over a three-year period.
Bharat VISTAAR: An AI-based digital platform intended for the large-scale transfer of agricultural technologies to optimize fertilizer use efficiency.
Waste-to-Wealth initiative: A government initiative focused on recycling organic waste into biological fertilizer sources to reduce dependence on chemical imports.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences
organizes a Brainstorming session to develop a
roadmap for achieving Atmanirbharta in fertilizers
Agricultural sector will play a pivotal role in this journey
towards Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047: Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary
DARE
Reducing fertilizer import dependence is imperative;
strengthening Soil Health, balanced use, and farmer
awareness key to sustainable agriculture: Dr. Jat
Posted On: 14 APR 2026 6:13PM by PIB Delhi
The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) today organized a Brainstorming
session (BSS) to develop a roadmap for achieving Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in fertilizers.
Representatives from concerned Government departments, Academia, Fertilizer Industry and
Farmers participated in the discussions, and opined unequivocally the necessity of
Atmanirbharta in this critical sector.After the session, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education under
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and DG, Indian Council of Agriculture Research
and President, NAAS Dr. M.L. Jat addressed a press conference. In his address, he said that
India has set a target of achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047, and the agricultural sector will
play a pivotal role in this journey. While fertilizers were instrumental during the Green
Revolution in boosting production, the current challenge lies in declining fertilizer use
efficiency and their indiscriminate application.
Dr. Jat further added that with the country consuming nearly 33 million tonnes of fertilizers
annually, a significant share of which is imported, reducing import dependency has become
imperative. He said addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach spanning short-
term, medium-term, and long-term strategies. He said that the strengthening initiatives like the
Soil Health, promoting balanced and need-based fertilizer application, and enhancing
awareness among farmers are important steps in this direction.
Dr.Jat informed that we must leverage modern technologies such as precision nutrient
management, artificial intelligence, and sensor-based systems to optimize fertilizer use. Crop
diversification towards pulses and oilseeds, recycling organic waste under the Waste-to-Wealth
initiative, and increasing the use of biological sources will further contribute to reducing
dependence on chemical fertilizers, he added.
Speaking about the brainstorming session, he informed that it was advised by the participants
to adopt a multi-pronged strategy with short, medium and long-term R&D goals, and enabling
policies to achieve the same. The roadmap should emphasize strengthening fertilizer research
for development of smart alternate fertilizers, utilization of unexploited indigenous minerals
(glauconite, phosphate rocks, mica, polyhalite…) and industrial by-products, increased use of
biologicals, exploiting the potential of soil microbiome, improved composting techniques,
crop breeding for enhanced NUE, good agricultural practices (GAP) involving precision
nutrient management integrating fertilizers and organics, soil health restoration, crop
diversification and residue recycling.It was also emphasized that there is need to launch a Mission Mode Program to promote
Integrated Nutrient Supply and Management (INSAM). The goal of proposed mission would
be to replace at least 25% of current mineral fertilizer use with organic manures in the next 3
years. An aggressive round-the-year technology transfer using digital tools such as AI platform
Bharat VISTAAR would help largescale adoption of the proven technologies. Weak extension
lays greater emphasis on increasing fertilizer use and not on its efficient use.
The representatives reached a consensus that a paradigm shift is needed in the current fertilizer
policies, especially bringing urea in the ambit of nutrient-based subsidy, repurposing fertilizer
subsidy as an incentive for adoption of GAP, linking subsidies with soil health card, and
exploring the possibility to disbursing subsidy to the farmers as direct cash transfer.
Availability of cheap urea is a principal disincentive to make its efficient use or to stop making
its over-use. Proportionally underuse than recommended of more expensive fertilizer P and K
provokes their deficiencies in soil and crops.
Background
Green revolution marked a turning point in India’s agricultural history which enabled India to
transition from food scarcity to self-sufficiency, marking a structural transformation in
agriculture. Fertilizers have been central to India’s agricultural transformation since the Green
Revolution, significantly increasing food grain production and ensuring national food security.
However, the sector remains heavily import-dependent, especially for phosphorus and
potassium, leading to high foreign exchange outflows and a substantial subsidy burden, which
reached nearly ₹1.71 lakh crore in 2024–25. Inefficient and imbalanced fertilizer use further
constrains productivity, as crops utilize only a fraction of applied nutrients—about 30–50% of
nitrogen, 15–25% of phosphorus, and 50–60% of potassium—while the remainder is lost
through leaching, runoff, volatilization, or soil fixation. This low nutrient-use efficiency
(NUE) increases production costs, escalates subsidies, and contributes to soil and water
degradation.
Total fertilizer (N+P O +K O) consumption reached 32.93 million tonnes in 2024–25, with a
2 5 2
fertilizer use intensity of 151 kg/ha. The average fertilizer consumption ratio (9.3:3.5:1)is
highly skewed towards N. Around 80% of natural gas used in urea production is imported,
further underlining dependence on imports even in domestically produced fertilizers. The
recent development in the west Asia should not be taken as a short-term supply chain crisis
with respect to fertilizers and raw materials. But, it is a wake-up call to rethink and realign our
policies and R&D priorities towards self reliance.
****
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