Overview
- Urea’s retail price has been fixed at Rs 242 per 45‑kg bag since 2018, and the Survey urges a modest reset offset by direct per‑acre transfers to preserve farmers’ purchasing power.
- The N:P:K use ratio worsened from 4:3.2:1 in 2009‑10 to 10.9:4.1:1 in 2023‑24, with excess nitrogen linked to soil degradation, groundwater nitrate leaching, and plateauing yields in irrigated belts.
- The plan calls for zone‑ and crop‑specific transfers, phased pilots, and use of Aadhaar, PM‑Kisan, and the Integrated Fertiliser Management System, while flagging tenancy as a design challenge.
- Urea consumption is expected to reach about 40 million tonnes this year, with industry projecting FY26 fertiliser subsidies to exceed budget estimates, potentially around Rs 1.91–1.95 lakh crore.
- The Survey frames the shift as aligning inputs with agronomy, promoting balanced fertilisation, soil testing, nano‑urea and organic options, and situates it within wider reforms including private investment, climate‑resilient tech, FPOs, voluntary crop diversification and price‑deficiency payments.