‘One Nation One Fertilizer’ will reduce logistics costs, and ensure fertilizer availability.
Following criticism from the opposition that the Centre’s decision to rebrand ‘One Nation One Fertilizer’ as the Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Janurvarak Pariyojna (PMBJP) is for self-promotion, Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals Mansukh Mandaviya said the scheme is aimed at lowering logistics costs involved in fertiliser transportation.
Mr Mandaviya stated that the Centre has taken steps to assure consistent fertiliser availability by getting into partnerships with nations like Russia and Saudi Arabia during a worldwide fertiliser crisis. He stated that the Centre had secured an arrangement in Saudi Arabia to supply 2.5 million tonnes of fertiliser to various Indian fertiliser companies.
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According to Mr Mandaviya, ‘One Nation One Fertilizer’ will put an end to the crisscross movement of fertilisers over longer distances. ‘It will minimise transport expenses while also ensuring fertiliser supply to farmers throughout the year.’ This notion will strengthen monitoring of real-time fertiliser movement, availability, and sales in a state,’ he stated.
The Minister went on to say that the manufacturing and distribution processes will be redrawn so that enterprises would not have to carry their products more than 500 kilometres on average.
In response to concerns that the prices of important fertilisers such as Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP), and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) are too high, he stated that the prices have been decontrolled since the implementation of the nutrient-based subsidy policy in 2010.
‘Phosphatic and potassium (P&K) fertiliser firms set prices based on market conditions. Due to the surge in worldwide costs of fertilisers and raw materials as a result of the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and the current geopolitical scenario,’ he continued, ‘the Centre increased a large number of fertiliser subsidies to absorb the price spike.’
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He claims that fertiliser parameters are the same across the country, regardless of brand. ‘Farmers will not be puzzled about which brand to choose after the launch of the ‘Bharat’ brand under One Nation One Fertilizer.’ It would also encourage enterprises to capture the local market by selling fertilisers, resulting in timely fertiliser availability to farmers,’ he added, adding that the quality of fertilisers under the single brand ‘Bharat’ remains uncompromised.
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