Need conducive policy to promote specialty fertilisers, says FAI

The sale of specialty fertilisers such as biostimulants is on the rise in India, and a conducive policy is needed to promote such products, industry body Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) said.

The current system is designed mainly for bulk fertilisers and may not adequately support emerging products, the association said, calling for a fresh relook at the distribution system. “The sale of specialty fertilisers is on the rise and farmers know the importance of such need-based fertilisers,” FAI Chief (Statistics and IT) Kuldeep Sati said at the Specialty Fertilizer Summit & B2B Expo 2026 (SOMS 2026), being held here from July 2-4.

Fertiliser distribution is fully regulated by the Government, with movement of all major and subsidised fertilisers monitored via an online web-based system — Integrated Fertiliser Management System (IFMS), he said.

“The current system is designed mainly for bulk fertilisers and may not adequately support emerging products,” he said, calling for a fresh relook at the distribution system in view of changing agricultural practices, increasing nutrient imbalance, technological advancement and sustainability concerns.

As per data, the total number of sales points for companies marketing traditional as well as specialty fertilisers stood at 3 lakh, Sati said.  Sati said reforms are needed in the fertiliser distribution system, which plays a critical role in ensuring timely availability of nutrients to more than 150 million farmers across the country.

Potential measures include bringing nano-fertilisers, liquid fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, water-soluble fertilisers and chelated micronutrients into the mainstream distribution cycle, which would improve nitrogen use efficiency, reduce nutrient losses and enhance crop quality and productivity, he said.

Highlighting the challenges in agricultural growth, he said soil health and crop response to fertiliser application are on the decline, while nutrient use efficiency of applied fertilisers remains low. Nutrient use efficiency is less than 50 per cent for nitrogen, 15-25 per cent for phosphate, 50-60 per cent for potash, 8-12 per cent for sulphur and less than 5 per cent for micronutrients, he said, adding that imbalance in the use of fertiliser nutrients remains a major issue.

The nutrient ratio currently stands at 9.3:2.5:1 as against the ideal ratio of 4:2:1, Sati said.

There has also been a rise in multi-nutrient deficiencies, with nitrogen deficiency at 94 per cent, phosphate 91 per cent, potash 51 per cent, sulphur 51 per cent, zinc 37 per cent and boron 23 per cent, he said.

Adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones and precision farming would create opportunities for a more efficient nutrient delivery system, Sati said.

Fertiliser distribution reforms are now a strategic necessity and not merely an option, he said, adding that improving nutrient efficiency is the most sustainable pathway for future agricultural growth.

He listed major concerns in the use of specialty fertilisers, including excessive dependence on conventional fertilisers due to subsidy, price imbalance due to their non-subsidised nature, regulatory compliance challenges, dependence on imported raw materials, weak last-mile distribution and storage infrastructure, the GST and import duty structure, and low farmer awareness.

Sati called for large-scale farmer awareness programmes, promotion of drip irrigation and fertigation, simplification of regulatory processes, increased domestic manufacturing, promotion through demonstration and economic validation, as well as expansion of drone and dealer infrastructure for ease of application.

India’s population is projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050 from around 1.45 billion currently, while foodgrain requirement is estimated to touch 450 million tonnes by 2050, against current production of about 376 million tonnes in 2025-26, Sati said.

Nutrient requirement is projected to rise to 60 million tonnes from the current 40 million tonnes, with about 45 million tonnes expected to come from chemical fertilisers and the remaining 15 million tonnes from organic and biological sources, he said.

Food security has always been the prime agenda of the government, and chemical fertilisers will continue to play a major role in ensuring it, even as organic and biological sources of nutrients need greater emphasis, Sati added.