{"id":87399,"date":"2026-10-26T18:36:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87399"},"modified":"2026-10-26T18:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:08:36","slug":"nitrogen-overuse-soil-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/26-10-2026\/nitrogen-overuse-soil-health","title":{"rendered":"Overuse of Nitrogen Impacting Soil Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers\u2019 Welfare launched the <strong>rabi campaign, \u201cKhet Bachao Abhiyan\u201d (Save the Farm Campaign)<\/strong> in Karnal, Haryana.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The focus of the campaign is to <strong>correct the imbalanced use of chemical fertilisers,<\/strong> which is harming soils and groundwater and polluting the air.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) Recent Policy Brief:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It compared <strong>actual nutrient use in 20 major states<\/strong> with crop- and irrigation-specific norms between <strong>2009-10 and 2024-25.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NPK: <\/strong>The N:P:K ratio stands at 10.5:4.1:1, against a derived normative 2.8:1.5:1.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NPK refers to the three primary macronutrients <\/strong>essential for plant growth: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nitrogen Use: <\/strong>Nationally, nitrogen use has moved from <strong>7% below its recommended dose to 6% above it.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eleven of 20 major states, led by Jharkhand (72%) and Punjab (65%), overuse nitrogen.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nitrogen\u2019s share in NPK use is back to about 67%\u2014 the 1970-71 level.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phosphorus: <\/strong>The phosphorus deficit has narrowed only from 29 to 22%, while the potassium deficit has deepened from 48 to 72%: Farmers apply just 9 kg of potash per hectare against a need of 32 kg.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Every state under-applies potash; Haryana and Jharkhand apply barely a tenth of what their crops need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Overuse of Nitrogen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme:<\/strong> NBS let the prices of phosphatic and potassic fertilisers float with world markets, but kept urea out at a fixed price.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Between 2010-11 and 2024-25, Diammonium Phosphate <strong>(DAP) prices nearly tripled<\/strong> to Rs 54\/kg, and<strong> Muriate of Potash (MOP) rose six-fold<\/strong> to Rs 52\/kg, while the<strong> price of nitrogen in urea rose by just 1%.<\/strong> Farmers respond to relative prices.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nitrogen also makes the crop look green,<\/strong> while the damage from missing potash shows up later, and quietly.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High Fiscal Burden: <\/strong>Heavy subsidy on urea increases the government\u2019s fertilizer subsidy bill and strains public finances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Imbalanced Fertilizer Consumption: <\/strong>Excessive use of urea (nitrogen) compared to phosphatic and potassic fertilizers disturbs the N:P:K ratio, reducing soil productivity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE): <\/strong>Only a part of applied urea is utilized by crops; the rest is lost through volatilization, leaching, and denitrification.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Degradation: <\/strong>Continuous overuse leads to soil acidification, micronutrient deficiency, and long-term fertility decline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Pollution: <\/strong>It causes water pollution (eutrophication) due to nitrate runoff, and emits nitrous oxide (N\u2082O), a potent greenhouse gas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Import Dependence &amp; External Vulnerability: <\/strong>Reliance on imported urea and natural gas exposes India to global price volatility and supply disruptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Neem-Coated Urea (NCU): <\/strong>Mandatory coating of urea with neem to reduce nitrogen loss, improve efficiency, and prevent diversion to non-agricultural uses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme:<\/strong> Promotes balanced fertiliser use (N:P:K) by subsidising phosphatic and potassic fertilisers, reducing overdependence on urea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Fertilisers: <\/strong>Subsidy is transferred to companies after sale to farmers, ensuring transparency and reducing leakages\/diversion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promotion of Nano Urea:<\/strong> Developed by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, Nano Urea reduces conventional urea requirement while maintaining crop yield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Health Card Scheme:<\/strong> Provides farmers with soil nutrient status, encouraging judicious and need-based fertiliser use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Shift to Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):<\/strong> Replace input-based subsidies with per-hectare direct transfers that are neutral across nutrients and crops.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gradually bring urea under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) regime to reduce its price advantage and encourage balanced fertiliser use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen PM-PRANAM:<\/strong> Expedite the implementation of the PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) to incentivise states that reduce excessive chemical fertiliser consumption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote sustainable technologies:<\/strong> Redirect fertiliser subsidy savings towards drip irrigation, customised and coated fertilisers, biofertilisers, nano fertilisers and nitrogen-efficient seeds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adopt the 4R principle:<\/strong> Promote the right fertiliser source, rate, time and place through soil testing and plot-specific recommendations. Crop rotation with pulses can also reduce nitrogen requirements for subsequent crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India must shift its focus from the <strong>quantity of fertilisers consumed to the balanced supply of nutrients.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rationalising subsidies, promoting sustainable farming and incentivising states can protect soil health while ensuring long-term food security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q] <\/strong>India\u2019s fertilizer use remains heavily tilted towards nitrogen even after several policy attempts to promote balanced nutrition. Discuss its agronomic, fiscal and environmental consequences, and suggest reforms to correct it.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Published on:<\/strong> 26 October, 2026<\/p>\n<p>The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers\u2019 Welfare launched the rabi campaign, \u201cKhet Bachao Abhiyan\u201d (Save the Farm Campaign) in Karnal, Haryana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":87402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nitrogen-overuse-in-india.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87399"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87400,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87399\/revisions\/87400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}