Fertiliser subsidy, import up in 3 years

Indian farming sector has witnessed improve in the subsidyand import of fertilisers in the final three years.

In a reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Chemical compounds and Fertilisers, claimed the overall amount of money of subsidy disbursed on fertilisers enhanced to ₹1.31 lakh crore in 2020-21 in opposition to ₹83,467 crore in 2019-twenty. It was at ₹73,435 crore in 2018-19.

Import of urea enhanced to ninety eight.28 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2020-21 from ninety one.23 lt in 2019-twenty and seventy four.81 lt in 2018-19.

The import of NPK enhanced to 13.ninety lt in 2020-21 in opposition to seven.46 lt in 2019-twenty and five.46 lt in 2018-19.

Throughout 2020-21, the import of MOP and DAP enhanced to forty two.27 lt (36.70 lt in 2019-twenty), and forty eight.eighty two lt (forty eight.70 lt), respectively.

Use of bio-fertilisers

To a independent question on the use of bio-fertilisers and pesticides, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, claimed bio-fertilisers are promoted by means of integrated nutrient administration and are created integral part of offer of procedures produced by ICAR and condition agriculture universities.

The intake of chemical pesticides enhanced from fifty nine,699 tonnes in 2018-19 to sixty one,701 tonnes in 2019-twenty, and to sixty two,192 tonnes in 2020-21.

To a question on the problems of existence of harmful substances in foods things, Tomar claimed the Foodstuff Basic safety and Conventional Authority of India (FSSAI) has preset the Highest Residue Limits (MRLs) for numerous pesticides, antibiotics, etcetera in foods commodities less than Foodstuff Basic safety and Requirements (Contaminants, Toxic compounds and Residues) Restrictions 2011, which are reviewed from time to time.

Even more, samples of greens, fruits and other crops are gathered from the retail stores, markets, farm gate, etcetera less than a central sector scheme — ‘Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at Countrywide Level’ — and analysed for pesticide residues.

From the investigation of a overall of 1,72,437 samples of numerous foods commodities for the duration of April 2014 to March 2021, residues have been observed exceeding higher than MRLs in 4,680 (two.seven per cent) samples. Reviews of this sort of scenarios have been shared with involved Condition governments to just take ideal legal and corrective actions as per the provisions of the Insecticides Act 1968, he claimed.