Parliament Question: Employment through Nano-Fertilizer

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1057 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 24.07.2026 Employment through Nano-Fertilizer 1057. Shri Ajendra Singh Lodhi: Shri Lalji Verma: Mrs Ruchi Vira: Shri Neeraj Maurya: Shri Harendra Singh Malik: Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state: (a) the number of local educated youth who got employment so far through the establishment of nano-fertilizer production plants and local organic fertilizer production units in Uttar Pradesh, district-wise, particularly in Mahoba, Banda and Hamirpur; (b) whether the farmers in the said districts are facing serious difficulties due to the black marketing of subsidised conventional fertilizers, such as Urea and Diammonium Phosphate and administrative deficiencies; (c) whether the Government has any comprehensive plan to train local youth for the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other modern technologies used for the application of nano- fertilizers; and (d) whether the Government has conducted any independent inquiry to assess the level of long term sustainability of the said campaign for reducing the dependency on chemical fertilizers on soil fertility and farmers income, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA) (a) Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) informed that 81 local educated youths have been provided employment in the Nano Fertilizer Production Plant at Phulpur (District - Prayagraj) and 102 local educated youths in the Nano Fertilizer Production Plant at Aonla (District - Bareilly) in Uttar Pradesh. KRIBHCO has informed that 17 personnel are employed at its Bio-Fertilizer Plant at Varanasi. As per the information provided by Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants located in Uttar Pradesh producing Fermented Organic Manure (FOM)/ Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM), the district-wise details of local employment by CBG plants in the state of Uttar Pradesh is placed at Annexure. (b) Following Steps are taken by the Government every season for ensuring timely and adequate supply of fertilizers across the States/UTs, including the State of Uttar Pradesh:-2- (i) Before the commencement of each cropping season, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), in consultation with all the State Governments, assesses the State-wise & month-wise requirement of fertilizers. (ii) On the basis of requirement projected by DA&FW, D/o Fertilizers allocates adequate quantities of fertilizers to States by issuing monthly supply plan and continuously monitors the availability. (iii) The movement of all major subsidized fertilizers is monitored throughout the country by an on-line web based monitoring system called integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS). (iv) Regular Weekly Video Conference is conducted jointly by DA&FW and D/o Fertilizers with State Agriculture Officials and corrective actions are taken to dispatch fertilizers as indicated by the State Governments. (v) The distribution of fertilizers within the State is done by the respective State Government. The availability of fertilizers i.e. Urea and DAP has remained adequate in the State of Uttar Pradesh during ongoing Kharif 2026 season (From 01.04.2026 to 19.07.2026). The information regarding requirement, availability, sales and closing stocks of Urea and DAP in the State during the said period are as under: Fig. in LMTs CLOSING STOCK S.No. PRODUCT REQUIREMENT AVAILABILITY SALES as on 19.07.2026 1 UREA 22.71 32.90 16.69 16.21 2 DAP 4.78 8.45 3.33 5.12 Further, in order to address the issues of black-marketing, sub-standard fertilizers, hoarding and diversion, fertilizers are declared as an essential commodity under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and notified under Fertilizer Control Order, 1985. State Governments are adequately empowered to take action against persons involved in said malpractices, as per provisions of EC Act. Any complaints received at Department of Fertilizers level regarding these malpractices are sent to concerned State Government to take appropriate action under Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and Fertilizer Control Order, 1985. However, Department of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, in consultation with the State Governments, is regularly monitoring the enforcement action taken by States against the cases of black marketing, hoarding, sub-standard and diversion on weekly basis. In the State of Uttar Pradesh, from 01.04.2026 to 17.07.2026, 9687 raids have been conducted with 1083 show cause notices issued, 548 licenses suspended/cancelled and 38 FIRs registered against defaulters.-3- Government of Uttar Pradesh has informed that no widespread difficulties due to black marketing of fertilizers have been reported from the districts of Mahoba, Banda and Hamirpur. (c) Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) informed that under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme, the comprehensive 15 days training programme include compulsory training for securing drone pilot licence, preparation of drone for flying, minor repair and maintenance and hands on practice for handling drones for spraying of pesticides and liquid fertilizers. The experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), and Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs) handhold the drone didis as per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) brought out by DA&FW. The SOPs delineate flying speed, flying height, environmental conditions for flying, formulations to be used, nozzle selection, safety and precautions to be adhered and also do’s and don’t to be followed. These training are conducted in Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTOs) which are presently 274 numbers across the country. Under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme, 1098 drones have been supplied by the Lead Fertiliser Companies to the selected SHGs and one of the members of there each SHGs has been trained as drone pilot. The Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes (FMTTIs), which are subordinate offices of DA&FW located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hisar (Haryana), and Biswanath Chariali (Assam), are DGCA- approved RPTOs conducting training on drones. Till date, these institutes have trained 155 drone pilots. Government of Uttar Pradesh informed that they are promoting the use of drones and other modern agricultural technologies through awareness programmes, demonstrations and capacity-building initiatives. Under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme, members of Self Help Groups are being trained in drone operations through Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), and drones are being provided in accordance with the guidelines of the Government of India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) informed that ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun has established a DGCA-certified Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) to impart training in UAV/drone operation for agricultural applications, including drone-based application of nano-fertilizers. The programme aims to develop skilled human resources, including local youth, for the adoption of precision agriculture technologies such as crop monitoring and other modern agricultural practices. Since October 2024, the Institute has trained 77 candidates in drone operation and related applications. (d) The Government has not conducted any independent inquiry specifically to assess the long-term sustainability of the campaign for reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers with respect to its impact on soil fertility and farmers' income. *****Annexure Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1057 for answering on 24.07.2026 District-wise details of employment by CBG plants in the state of Uttar Pradesh Sr. District Name Number of local educated youth who got No. employment 1 Agra 3 2 Amethi 245 3 Balrampur 8 4 Barabanki 9 5 Bareilly 5 6 Bulandshahr 9 7 Chandauli 20 8 Gautam Buddha Nagar 7 9 Gorakhpur 93 10 Hapur 18 11 Hardoi 20 12 Kanpur Dehat 4 13 Kumbhi 8 14 Lakhimpur Kheri 20 15 Mathura 36 16 Meerut 18 17 Muzaffarnagar 50 18 Prayagraj 12 19 Saharanpur 49 Total 634