: Monday, May 25, 2026 5:02 PM
Dausa. BJP district media in-charge Prem Haritwal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made seven appeals to the countrymen. Among these appeals, the most discussed issue is to avoid buying gold and reduce the consumption of petrol and diesel. However, it is also true that whenever the country has faced a crisis, Prime Ministers have made such appeals. When there was a food crisis in the country and America was using wheat imports as a weapon, the then Prime Minister had appealed to observe fast one day a week, which had a positive impact on the people of the country. In the year 1967, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had appealed not to buy gold, while in 2013, the Manmohan Singh government had also urged the countrymen to avoid buying gold.
If we look at the country’s imports, the import expenditure is about 9.3 percent on gold and about 17.4 percent on petroleum products. These are paid in dollars and this huge payment in dollars makes the rupee weak. If we look at all seven appeals of the Prime Minister, they are directly or indirectly related to reducing dollar payments. Their far-reaching effects have to be understood.
The country is expected to consume about 70-72 million tonnes of chemical fertilizers during the year 2024-25, which mainly includes urea, DAP and potash. Of these, about 73 percent is being produced in India and production has increased continuously in the last five years. This increase in fertilizer production reflects India’s resolve to become self-reliant.
Reflects. Despite this, in the case of potash, India is still almost completely dependent on imports. About 1.9 percent of the country’s total import expenditure is spent on fertilizer imports. It is estimated that approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore will be spent on fertilizer imports in the year 2025-26.
Due to competition and increasing expectations of higher production among the farmers of the country, an average of 199 kg of fertilizers per hectare is being used in India. Punjab, Bihar and Telangana are the states where maximum fertilizer is used per hectare. Excessive use of fertilizers may increase production in the short term, but due to its side effects, the risk of serious diseases also increases. Besides, this also increases India’s import bill continuously.
Due to the Self-reliant India campaign, fertilizer production has currently reached an all-time high, but the important fact is that fertilizer production requires natural gas, which is
The supply is mainly dependent on the Gulf countries. That is, despite the increase in fertilizer production, India is still dependent on imports for its key components natural gas and potash.
To enable the farmers of the country to stand strong against other farmers of the world, the Government of India provides subsidies on various agricultural inputs. About Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh crore is spent every year on fertilizer subsidy in the country. Farmers are being given subsidy of Rs 1200 to Rs 2700 per bag on urea and DAP, which is paid directly to the companies. These huge subsidies and increasing import bill not only make Indian farming expensive but also put a burden on the country’s economy.
India has an amazing ability to fight crises. Thousands of years of history is witness to the fact that whenever the country faces a strategic, economic or epidemic crisis, India has emerged stronger than before. During the time of the present central government, we have seen such situations being created even during the time of Corona, where we developed the ability to convert disaster into opportunity.
The Hormuz crisis has given us an opportunity today to control our dependence on chemical fertilizers, increase balanced use of urea and DAP and prepare a long-term policy under which the consumption of fertilizers can be gradually reduced. A small state like Sikkim had declared itself a completely organic farming state in the year 2016. Other states of the country should also encourage organic farming and connect farmers with it.
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Web Title-India Learns a Lesson from the US-Iran Conflict, Finds an Opportunity to Become Self-Reliant: Prem Haritwal
