Urea fertiliser is strategically important to ensure the food security of the rising population in Bangladesh. Farmers consider this input as an essential component of farming. The steady and affordable supply of this nitrogenous fertiliser is a government policy priority. Successive government handles urea fertiliser issues with utmost priority and care.

Massive subsidies, administrative support, market dynamics and a highly regulated supply chain have made this fertiliser crucial. This fertiliser can potentially escalate social unrest and political turmoil. The nation witnessed many unexpected incidents, including farmer’s riots, road blockages and even deaths, sprouting from the urea issue. The national demand for urea fertiliser is increasing continuously.

Government efforts taken so far to saddle the soaring demand did not work effectively. Therefore, urea is still a big concern for future food security.

Thus, a sustainable technology to curb the rising demand for urea use is essential for Bangladesh’s agriculture.

Urea fertiliser is an essential ingredient of modern agriculture. This nitrogenous fertiliser has been magical in increasing crop production since its introduction in the 1960s. Urea is the most widely used nitrogen fertiliser in the world, accounting for some 62% of the global demand for this key nutrient. With the intensification of agriculture, global demand for urea fertiliser has increased manifold since the 1960s. Non-agricultural use of urea fertiliser has also put extra pressure on urea supply globally.

However, against this backdrop, the use of Nano Urea (liquid) has emerged as a ground-breaking innovation. Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) introduced the first-ever Nano Urea. One bottle of Nano Urea (500 ml) has the same efficacy as one bag (45 kg) of urea.

As per specifications of IFFCO Nano Urea, the particle size is less than 100 nm. It contains 4% N and has a shelf-life of about two years. This technology enables better nutrient absorption, improving nutrient efficiency and reducing fertiliser usage. One of the key benefits of Nano Urea is its controlled release mechanism. This controlled release ensures that the plant receives a continuous supply of nutrients, reducing nutrient loss through leaching and volatilisation.

As the fifth largest urea fertiliser consumer, Bangladesh largely depends on imports (70%) to meet domestic demand. In 2021-22, agricultural consumption of urea fertiliser was 27 lac tons (17% higher than in 2020-21). Domestic production was 10 lac tons. Renovation of the Ghorasal-Narsinghdi urea fertiliser industry is likely to increase the domestic supply. However, demand might outpace the production.

The top producers of urea fertiliser are India (24.2 million tons), Russia (8.1 million tons), Indonesia (7.3 million tons), Pakistan (5.8 million tons), United States (5.7 million tons) and Iran (5.5 million tons).

Bangladesh ranks 20th in urea production. Urea is a highly subsidised fertiliser in the major agricultural countries. India paid USD 5.1 billion in subsidies for urea in 2021. Fertiliser subsidy in Bangladesh shot at Tk28 thousand in 2021-22 with the unexpected rise of urea price in the international market. The current subsidy for urea fertiliser is Tk25 per kg.

The projected urea demand in 2035 would be 40 lac tons in Bangladesh. BCIC’s current production capacity is nearly 10 lac tons, supplying one-third of national demand. With optimistic scenarios, domestic production could meet up to a maximum of 50% of national demand by 2035.

The Ministry of Agriculture has been launching various projects and programmes to reduce the lavish and wasteful use of urea. Following the steps of other countries, Bangladesh launched programmes to popularise urea super granule (USG). Department of Agricultural Extension, FAO and many non-governmental organisations supported the programme. In most cases, farmers took it positively.

Research justified the USG technology as economically viable. However, this technology was not sustainable in the field. Farmers finally refused to take the hassle of applying for USG. Before that, the Leaf Colour Chart (LCC) lost popularity among farmers. Bangladesh’s farmers usually do not follow the recommended dose of fertiliser prescribed by the Soil Resource Development Institute.

The Ministry of Agriculture planned to balance urea use by applying DAP fertiliser, which supplies 18% nitrogen, and accordingly budgeted a significant subsidy (Tk79 per kg). In 2022-23, farmers used 16 lac tons of DAP, likely to supplement six lac tons of urea; however, no significant impact was found in total urea usage. What is next to restrain the lavish and imbalanced use of urea fertiliser?

The major urea-consuming countries have continued their effort to find a sustainable urea-saving technology. Finally, India succeeded in discovering nano-technology-based liquid urea. It is a ground-breaking innovation for future agriculture. India is trying to cut dependency on imported urea by replacing it with locally produced Nano Urea fertilisers by 2025.

As part of the plan, about 8.5 million tonnes (mt) of urea would be replaced with 170 million bottles of Nano Urea. In June 2021, IFFCO launched the world’s first Nano Urea Fertiliser, while nano DAP in April this year.

Now, the question is how Bangladesh can benefit from this scientific breakthrough. Should Bangladesh import IFFCO Nano Urea from India or invest in R&D to develop its Nano Urea technology? A few countries, including the USA, have already signed an agreement to import IFFCO Nano Urea.

IFFCO has exported over five lakh bottles of nano-liquid urea to more than 25 countries. Liquid Nano Urea is easy to apply with the spray machine. It is much cheaper than traditional urea. A 500 ml bottle is sufficient to cultivate one acre of rice, saving 90% on the cost of urea. Thus, Bangladesh should make a prompt decision to import Nano Urea from India. Failure to introduce a urea-saving technology might threaten the urea economy and food security in Bangladesh.
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The writer is an agriculturist,
researcher, and civil servant.
Email: [email protected]