logo
How does nano urea fertilizer benefit farmers? IFFCO's Yogendra Kumar explains

How does nano urea fertilizer benefit farmers? IFFCO's Yogendra Kumar explains

Time of India27-05-2025

IFFCO Nano Urea serves as an innovative agricultural input utilising nanotechnology to deliver nitrogen to plants. (AI image)
Nano urea is being seen as a revolutionary invention in agriculture. From its price to the method of use and potential to increase incomes of farmers, nano urea is an important solution in the
agriculture sector
.
According to Yogendra Kumar, Marketing Director at IFFCO, using the nano urea fertilizer will help increase the soil yield. This is because lesser amount of fertilizer will be required. Yogendra Kumar also said that nano urea fertilizer nourishes the crop to make it healthy.
Nano Urea Plus (Liquid) is an enhanced version of Nano Urea, featuring a higher nitrogen concentration (20% N w/v equivalent to 16% N w/w). This formulation incorporates various nitrogen forms (Urea-Amide, Ammoniacal, Aminos etc.)
and includes bio-polymers and additional excipients in its composition. Incidentally, IFFCO Nano Urea (Liquid) is the world's first nanofertilizer which has been notified by Fertilizer Control Order (FCO, 1985), Government of India.
"The crops are healthier and the chances of pest infestation are greatly reduced. Additionally, even if there is a case of pest infestation, the treatment required would be minor."
He also says that nano urea is a cost-effective and environment friendly option for farmers. Yogendra Kumar added that healthier crops with higher strength in holding on to the soil due to use of nano urea are able to bear natural disturbances like higher wind speeds better.
IFFCO Nano Urea serves as an innovative agricultural input utilising nanotechnology to deliver nitrogen to plants. It represents a sustainable alternative for farmers, promoting efficient agriculture whilst addressing climate change concerns.
Its effectiveness as a fertilizer stems from its optimal particle dimensions of 20-50 nm, enhanced surface area (10,000 times greater than a 1mm urea pill) and increased particle count (55,000 nitrogen particles compared to a 1mm urea pill).
The enhanced properties of nano urea result in superior crop absorption, with over 80% availability, leading to improved nutrient utilisation efficiency.
Top benefits of Nano Urea
Better quality food
Reduction in chemical fertilizer usage
Environment friendly
Higher crop yields
Easy to store and transport
Increased income for farmers
Nano urea serves as a crucial element in 4 R nutrient stewardship, advancing both precision farming and sustainable agricultural practices.
Its manufacturing process exemplifies clean and environmentally friendly technology, requiring minimal energy and resource consumption during industrial production.
Furthermore, Nano urea significantly reduces the environmental impact by decreasing nutrient losses from agricultural lands through leaching and gaseous emissions, which previously contributed to environmental degradation and climate change effects.
Nano Urea Plus demonstrates considerable energy efficiency and produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to alternative products. Additionally, the application of Nano Urea Plus (Liquid) enables farmers to decrease their usage of conventional top-Dressed Urea (Granular/Prill) by as much as 50%.
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Reimagining higher education: Ecosystem approach can revive enrollment in basic sciences
Reimagining higher education: Ecosystem approach can revive enrollment in basic sciences

The Hindu

time12 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Reimagining higher education: Ecosystem approach can revive enrollment in basic sciences

With an enrollment of more than 41 million students, India has been recognized as the world's second largest post-secondary education system (after China). In the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP), the Government of India projects to increase the enrollment rate to 50%, from its current 27.3%, by 2035. To achieve this goal, India will have to add around 34 million students to the system. South India has been facing a decline in enrollment in Mathematics and Basic Sciences progressively. This can be perceived as due to emerging trends that view the tertiary education space from a utilitarian perspective. If such a notion persists, though, there would be closure of such programmes at many institutions. However, admissions to Engineering programmes (having allied Mathematics as an integral part) in ranked institutions is still progressing well. This indicates that learning Mathematics in isolation as a major subject has been declining owing to the lack of an associated professional training component. Starved of tuition revenue, universities and colleges are considering closing down departments. But, is there an alternative framework to reimagine the tertiary education space? Do colleges need to appropriate the perception of millennials concerning curriculum and pedagogical design, which would facilitate their enrollment? Expectations of millennials Doug Shapiro, the Executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center that curates data from the majority of the institutions in the U.S.A. stated in an interview that 'the longer this continues, the more it starts to build its own momentum as a cultural shift and not just a short-term effect of the pandemic disruptions. 'Students are questioning the value of college. They may be looking at friends who graduated last year or the year before who didn't go, and they seem to be doing fine. They're working; their wages are up.' Millennials in general are inclined to pursue entrepreneurship rather than work for someone else. Secondly, value for money through return of investment is another key perception they have. As per a study cited in a March 2024 article by Inside Higher Ed, it is observed that confidence in colleges is falling, and the perceived value of on-the-job training and shorter-term licensure or certificate programs is on the rise. Further, a survey conducted by the marketing research firm Edge Research and HCM Strategists, a public policy and advocacy consulting firm funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, noted that although 58% of high schoolers and 51% of non-enrolled adults in 2023 believed 'you must have a college degree to earn a 'good job,'' 69% and 65%, respectively, believed certification is enough. To address this complex issue further, we require a whole-of-tertiary education vision and strategy through a systems-thinking approach rather than cherry-picking populist initiatives. We need to envisage new types of institutions with different missions, programmes and modes of study to meet the demands and needs of this diverse cohort of learners and of society. Consequently, to evolve an institutional model from the perspective of reimagining the arts and Science colleges, we can draw insights from Neil J. Smelser's proposition (UC Berkeley) which describes the modern research university as a 'multi-campus network' of inter-related parts and relationships. It can be interpreted that the entire post-secondary landscape could be envisaged as an 'ecosystem' which offers various types of education including skill development leading to professional certification concerning upskilling and reskilling, adult education, continuing education or even lifelong learning, community engagement, and so on. If the tertiary education space is rendered dynamic in design through an ecosystem model by connecting it with the world of work through an interface in the academic institution, it would perpetuate itself by adapting to the changing context. The ecosystem, as a dynamic space, could be envisaged as a system where the number, type, role and responsibilities of providers, individually and collectively, evolve and modify over time in response to the changing environment. Though the ecosystem providers are diversified, flexible and responsive with distinct missions towards societal and economic changes, there would not be an imbedded hierarchy. An ecosystem approach of tertiary education space will keep co-creating the curriculum and pedagogy as it will be constantly communicating and receiving feedback through community and industry engagement. A real-world application The Madras Christian College has embarked on validating this model through the MCC-MRF Innovation Park, where apart from incubating entrepreneurs as its core vision, the innovation park would also focus on creating centers of excellence in domains mapped with programmes offered on the campus. The proposed Centers of Excellence will keep updating themselves with changes happening in the world of work and creating skilled work forces through upskilling and reskilling. In addition to this, hackathons will be conducted periodically curating pain points from industries and involving interns from the campus. The departments within the college, through their association with the centers of excellence, would in turn be sensitized continuously, leading to a dynamic equilibrium between the world of work and the world of education through the interface known as the Innovation Park. If established industries have reservations in setting up their centers at higher education institutions, then budding start-ups would emerge as an alternative option for industry engagement and transform the tertiary education landscape. (Dr. Paul Wilson is currently serving as the Principal and Secretary of Madras Christian College, Chennai, India)

Bridging security and compliance gaps to achieve AI readiness, ET CISO
Bridging security and compliance gaps to achieve AI readiness, ET CISO

Time of India

time15 hours ago

  • Time of India

Bridging security and compliance gaps to achieve AI readiness, ET CISO

The AI market in India is booming with the government's growing focus on Digital India. With initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission, the Government of India is promoting AI adoption while driving responsible and inclusive growth of the country's AI ecosystem. India's AI market is growing at a CAGR of 25-35% and is projected to reach around $17 billion by 2027. As organisations rapidly adopt AI, compliance and cybersecurity are emerging as the toughest obstacles to AI readiness, particularly for Indian organisations. Research from Iron Mountain, published in partnership with FT Longitude, found that cybersecurity and compliance risks are the top concerns for Indian organisations (43%) - the highest amongst all countries, compared to 31% in the U.S. and 27% in the U.K. The research, based on a survey of senior leaders at 500 large organisations worldwide, found that the majority of organisations globally (64%) have gaps in their information management frameworks for AI readiness. Advt Advt These trends mirror how security and compliance have become non-negotiables for Indian organisations as stricter laws, such as the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, and rising security threats increase the risk of severe penalties, including fines, reputational damage, and customer safety issues. Additionally, as the rapid adoption of AI continues to gain momentum, the government is actively focusing on responsibly leveraging AI through initiatives such as the IndiaAI Safety Institute to address AI risks and safety challenges. Technologies that ensure compliance with data privacy regulations will become essential as regulatory scrutiny intensifies and the emphasis on responsible AI innovation Compliance and Security as AI-Led Operations ScaleAI adoption is accelerating to a point whereby relying on manual security and compliance checks is becoming impractical. In this context, automation is fast becoming the solution. Iron Mountain's research found that 58% of Indian organisations use automation for compliance frequently or very frequently; however, this falls below the global average of 70%, indicating potential for greater adoption to strengthen regulatory drive better outcomes, including increased revenue and profitability, organisations must also prioritise how they manage their data. This means optimising systems for the collection, storage and deletion of proprietary data, all while keeping security and compliance top of mind. While human intervention remains essential for setting guardrails and validating outputs, organisations will need to embrace automated governance and risk management by data lineage is an essential component to AI-readiness strategies. Data lineage accurately tracks how employees have generated, managed and exploited data across their systems to ensure AI models are trained on the highest-quality and most relevant data available. It is therefore crucial to have models grounded in quality datasets, along with the ability to trace where the data originated from and how the model arrived at a particular outcome. Human oversight at each step of the AI model's decision-making process, measured against regulatory and compliance benchmarks, remains critical. Creating a single, unified view of data ownership and sourcing will support this effort. Resources such as taxonomy glossaries and clear guidance on risk appetite will also help ensure consistency across goes a long way, as does communicating data lineage and model outcomes to stakeholders who may not have deep technical knowledge or awareness of data privacy and security issues. For instance, employees may not realise that certain data is restricted under regulatory guidelines, potentially leading to compliance issues if the model has factored in that like the labels on food packaging, AI nutrition labels provide detailed information about the datasets used to train AI models. They enhance transparency, support data reliability and help mitigate biases in AI systems. Developing such labels can help organisations demonstrate compliance with key regulations and build stakeholder confidence in the reliability of AI outputs. According to Iron Mountain's research, India is leading in the adoption of AI nutrition labels, with 50% of respondents stating that these are a significant part of their process for managing data integrity, indicating a stronger emphasis on responsible and transparent use of AI in the growing adoption of open-source AI models, tools that provide deeper transparency, such as access to source codes and model weightings, will become increasingly important. In fact, in some jurisdictions, AI nutrition labels may soon become mandatory, and organisations should prepare for this rising regulatory value of pursuing AI readiness in this context is significant from a compliance perspective. But the bigger opportunity is in identifying and leveraging the right data to begin with. Feeding AI models with robust, transparent and compliant data fuels growth and productivity and protects organisations from breaches and failures that could undermine AI ecosystem is poised for tremendous growth, driven by strong governmental support and an emphasis on responsible AI practices. As organisations continue to navigate the complex landscape of compliance and security, adopting automated tools and investing in robust data management strategies will be key to their success. By prioritising transparency and safeguarding data integrity, Indian organisations can lead the way in the global AI revolution, fostering innovation while maintaining trust and safety for all stakeholders. By , ETCISO Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETCISO App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath Govt approves 20% reservation for ex-Agniveers in police force
Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath Govt approves 20% reservation for ex-Agniveers in police force

Mint

timea day ago

  • Mint

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath Govt approves 20% reservation for ex-Agniveers in police force

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government will provide 20 per cent horizontal reservation to ex-Agniveers in recruitment to several positions in the state police force. This decision was taken by the UP cabinet in a meeting held on June 3. Advertisement 'Regarding the 20 per cent reservation to Ex-Agniveers in Uttar Pradesh police force... You are well aware that the Government of India had introduced a very ambitious scheme, Agneepath, under which the age limit for employing Agniveers and to strengthen them in every way was kept between 17.5 to 21.5 years for 4 years, and after that they were sent off after giving incentives,' Uttar Pradesh Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said. "Today, it has been decided to give 20 per cent horizontal reservation to is a big decision in itself. A provision for 3 years relaxation has also been made for them," he said. The reservation will be in direct recruitment in the state polic force including the Pradeshik Constabulary (PAC), Mounted Police and Fire Services. The meeting was held in Lucknow under the chairmanship of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Advertisement Meaningful post-servive employement Khanna, the UP Finance Minister, said the decision was aimed at ensuring meaningful post-servive employement for the Agniveers who complete their four-year tenure under the Agnipath scheme. 'The reservation will be applicable across all categories – General, SC, ST and OBC – of Agniveers,' he said. The first recruitment batch under this policy is expected to begin in 2026 – the year when first batch of Agniveers will retire. Many other states, like Haryana and Odisha, have also annouced reservation schemes for ex-Agniveers. Also Read | Indian Army Agniveer recruitment: Registration for Agnipath Scheme ending soon The Agnipath scheme was launched by the Union government in 2022 to serve in defence services – Army, Air Force and Navu – as Agniveers for four years. Advertisement Bed, Breakfast and Homestay Policy 2025 The Yogi Adityanath cabinet also approved the Uttar Pradesh Bed and Breakfast (B and B) and Homestay Policy 2025 to improve services and provide better options for stay to the pilgrims and tourists in Uttar Pradesh This is a big decision in itself. A provision for 3 years relaxation has also been made for them. Khanna said UP Homestay and B and B Policy provides for housing facilities in up to six rooms (12 beds). Khanna said a committee headed by district magistrate and comprising district police chief (or representative) and others would grant permission to run the homestay services. (With ANI inputs)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store