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- Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister approved a 51,875 crore subsidy for phosphatic & potassic fertilisers for the rabi season.
About Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme
- The nutrient based subsidy scheme has been implemented since 2010 by the Department of Fertilizers.
- Under the NBS policy, a fixed rate of subsidy is announced on nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) by the government on an annual basis.
- Government is making available fertilizers, namely Urea and 25 grades for P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer manufacturers/importers.
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PM PRANAM (PM Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana)
- It aims to bring down the subsidy burden on chemical fertilisers.
- The scheme will have no separate budget and will be financed through the “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of Fertilizers.
- 50 per cent of subsidy savings will be passed on as a grant to the state that saves the money.
- 70 percent of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset creation related to technological adoption of alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser production units at village, block and district levels.
- The remaining 30 per cent grant money can be used for rewarding and encouraging farmers, panchayats, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of fertiliser use and awareness generation.
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Rationale behind Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme
- Availability: This will enable smooth availability of all P&K fertilizers to the farmers during Rabi season at the subsidized prices of fertilizers and support the agriculture sector.
- Absorbing the volatility: the volatility in the international prices of fertilizers and raw materials has been primarily absorbed by the Union Government.
- Ensuring supply: The P&K fertilizers are made available to farmers in adequate quantities.
- Wider choice: More grades of P&K fertilizers have been brought under the purview of the NBS Scheme giving the farmers wider choice to use complex fertilizer grades.
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The Soil Health Card Scheme
- It was launched in 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
- The scheme has been introduced to assist State Governments to issue soil health cards to all farmers in the country.
- Soil health card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.
- Objectives:
- To issue soil health cards every two years to all farmers, so as to provide a basis to address nutrient deficiencies in fertilization practices.
- To strengthen functioning of Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs) through capacity building, involvement of agriculture students and effective linkage with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- To diagnose soil fertility related constraints with standardized procedures for sampling uniformly across states and analysis and design taluka / block level fertilizer recommendations in targeted districts.
- To develop and promote soil test based nutrient management in the districts for enhancing nutrient use efficiency.
- To provide financial assistance to farmers to apply corrective measures for deficiencies and popularizing balance and integrated nutrient management practices for their cropping systems.
- To build capacities of district and state level staff and of progressive farmers for promotion of nutrient management practices.
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Source: LM
