NEW DELHI: With the Iran war triggering a shortage of fertilizers and a spike in prices, the Centre has asked states to consider ammonium sulphate as a substitute for urea in rice cultivation.
In a recent communication to state governments, the director-general of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggested ammonium sulphate be used for paddy as an affordable option. ICAR comes under the Union agriculture ministry.
The rationale behind the move is that while urea is in short supply, ammonia sulphate can fill the gap. India has the capacity to manufacture ammonia sulphate. Also, it can be imported from alternative sources such as South Korea, Japan, Belgium, China, and Russia.
Till now, India used to import most of its fertilizer requirements from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Israel—all of which are impacted by the war.
India manufactures three out of the four key fertilizers—urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), muriate of potash (MOP), and complex (combination of N, P, K nutrients)—with MOP being 100% import dependent. But the domestic production is not in sync with the rising demand and imports are crucial to meet the requirements.
However, scientists warn against promoting ammonium sulphate in crops. Dr Virender Singh Lather, former principal scientist at ICAR, said high doses of sulphur can be toxic to crops grown in waterlogged and heavy soil conditions, like paddy.