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FAI
Director General Dr. S.K. Chaudhari says a 20% bio-fertiliser supplementation
target could cut India's agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40%
·
Dr.
Chaudhari calls on industry to scale up production, raise quality standards,
and develop location-specific microbial formulations to mainstream
bio-fertilisers
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Remarks
made at FAI's four-day residential Training Programme on Biofertilisers for
Agricultural Sustainability, currently underway in Port Blair with participants
from 15 companies and institutions
New Delhi : Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Director General, The Fertiliser
Association of India (FAI), said that bio-fertilisers hold an immense and
largely untapped potential to reduce India's dependence on imported mineral
fertilisers. Speaking at FAI's four-day Training Programme on Biofertilisers
for Agricultural Sustainability in Port Blair, he stated that even a realistic
20% nutrient supplementation target through bio-fertilisers could reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from farmland by up to 40%. He attributed this to the high global
warming potential of nitrous oxide and described it as bio-fertilizers’ hidden
potential.
Dr. Chaudhari
further emphasised that Integrated Nutrient Management combining mineral
fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, and organic inputs in the right proportion, is
the only scientifically validated pathway to sustaining soil health and
long-term agricultural productivity. He said this conclusion has been firmly
established through six decades of long-term fertiliser experimentation in the
country.
FAI DG called on
industry to step up on three fronts: scaling up production capacity through
greater private and cooperative investment; maintaining rigorous quality from
manufacturing to the farmer’s doorstep; and developing innovative,
location-specific microbial formulations — since unlike mineral fertilisers,
bio-fertiliser efficacy is inherently soil and ecosystem-specific, and cannot
be applied as a one-size-fits-all solution.
The four-day
residential Training Programme on Biofertilisers for Agricultural
Sustainability is currently underway at Peerless Resort, Corbyn’s Cove, Port
Blair from 11 to 14 May 2026. The programme has drawn participants from 15
companies and institutions, including scientists from the ICAR system,
fertiliser industry representatives, and government officials.