Reform in Fertiliseer Sector for Prosperous Agriculture Sector

摘要

Fertiliser policies in India were introduced to ensure food security, fertiliser security and farmers prosperity through agricultural growth. The Retention Pricing Scheme (RPS) was introduced in 1977 for urea and it was extended to P&K fertilisers in 1979. The policy was conceived against the backdrop of oil crises in mid 1970s which resulted in sharp rise in prices of petroleum products and consequently fertiliser products. India was largely dependent on imports for fertilisers and also import of foodgrains. The need for popularising fertiliser use among farmers was felt under the Green Revolution using High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds with higher doses of irrigation and fertilisers. The situation demanded to ensure supply of fertilisers to farmers at reasonable and affordable prices to popularise their use. The need for setting up domestic capacity of fertilisers was also felt to insulate Indian farmers from the vagaries of fluctuating international prices of fertilisers experienced since the oil crisis.