Policies for growth in fertilizer consumption the next stage

Abstract

Annual consumption of fertilizers has increased from less than 100,000 metric tons of nutrients in the early 1950s to 8.2 million metric tons (mmts) by 1984/85. The Seventh Five Year Plan aims at raising it to 14 mmts by 1989/90. The task of accelerating growth in fertilizer consumption extends beyond the Seventh Plan period because virtually all further growth in crop production will have to come from continuous increases in yields and all proven yield-increasing technologies depend on high levels of fertilizer application. Thus the real question concerning the future is not whether but how to accelerate growth in fertilizer us and ensure its maximum effectiveness in crop production.