'Chemical fertiliser consumption to increase to 45 mn tonnes by 2025'

Consumption of chemical fertilisers in the country will increase to 45 million tonnes by 2025 which will lead to increase in health hazards, experts said.

Consumption of chemical fertilisers has been increasing in the country along with increase in agricultural production. Use of fertilisers increased to 25.6 million tonnes in 2014-15 from 1 million tonne in 1960s, CUTS International Director George Cheriyan said.

He was addressing a workshop on 'Developing a culture of sustainable consumption and lifestyle through organic production and consumption in Rajasthan' organised here on Wednesday.

"As per a report, the country is estimated to require 45 million tonnes fertilisers to produce 300 million tonnes of food grains by 2025. Agricultural growth which was 8.67 per cent in 1960-70s was recorded 2.61 per cent in 2010," Cheriyan said.

"Soil is losing fertility and production based on chemical fertilisers is adversely affecting human health. So, there is a growing need to increase organic production and consumption," he added.

He said the Right to Health is a basic fundamental right and there is a need for urgent policy shift in the country.

The workshop was attended by special guest V S Yadav, Dean, S.K.N. Agriculture University and Jagdish Pareek, a progressive organic farmer from Sikar district who has been awarded with Padma Shri.

Pareek said farmers are borrowing money to make part payment to avail government subsidy and are trapped in vicious circle of loan interest, which leads to them committing suicide.

He said the government should provide subsidy on agriculture equipment and purchase of seeds, instead of funding greenhouse or polyhouse.

Yadav stressed on the need to adopt organic farming and asked organic producers to market their products.