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Tata Paras Farmoola
– an innovation in crop nutrition
November 2010
Tata Chemicals is a pioneer in the field
of crop- and region-specific customised fertilisers that provide
balanced crop nutrition to the soil, boost the productivity
of crops and improve the overall quality of the yield
The inadequate and indiscriminate use of fertilisers, combined
with the skewed usage of organic fertilisers, has led to excessive
mining of secondary and micro-nutrients from the soil. Over
time, this creates a nutrient imbalance which, in turn, poses
a threat to crop productivity and soil health, especially
when no steps are taken to replenish the lost micro-nutrients
in the soil.
The birth of an innovation
TCL started voicing its concerns and began its policy advocacy
efforts for a new category of fertilisers — customised
fertilisers — that would help overcome these challenges.
These fertilisers were devised on the following principles:
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Tracking and monitoring dynamic changes in soil profile. |
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Crop- and region-specific prescription of nutrient application. |
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Ease of application. |
TCL's efforts led to the notification of guidelines on March
11, 2008, for the manufacturing and sales of customised fertilisers.
The 'Farmoola' for success
Sold under the brand name Paras Farmoola, the fertilisers
are custom-created for selected crops in a specific region
following extensive soil, crop and water sample analysis.
Paras Farmoola applications promote sustainable agriculture
by maintaining soil health and providing the best nutritional
package for better plant growth and premium quality output.
Tacit knowledge has been integrated with scientific research
(QUEFTS and STCR) to ensure efficiency of Paras Farmoola fertilisers.
They have been rigorously tested on farmer fields, and at
12 Krishi Vigyaan Kendras by conducting more than 300 research
experiments. Over 20,000 samples were collected from 25 districts
of western Uttar Pradesh for analysis. These field trials
were conducted on crops such as paddy, wheat, potato, sugarcane,
maize and mentha and reported a significant increase in yield
over traditional fertilisers.
| Key benefits |
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Enhances crop productivity with better benefit cost
ratio. |
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Is a one-time application of all macro and micro nutrients,
except nitrogen, and is hence convenient to use. |
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Promotes balanced application of nutrients. |
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Is granulated to ensure uniform distribution of nutrients. |
The company has established a state-of-the-art production
facility for these fertilisers at Babrala in the Bhimnagar district
of Uttar Pradesh. The facility has a manufacturing capacity
of 1,30,000MT.
| Farmer testimonials |
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Shaif Ahmed
Potato farmer (retired school teacher) |
| After conducting trials of customised
fertiliser on my potato plot, I realised that we were
following an unbalanced use of fertilisers for our potato
crop. Despite lower dosage of CF, at the time of harvesting,
I noticed that potato tubers from trial plots were of
uniform size and had no uneven or small-sized tubers at
all. The shine on tubers was prominent. The yield from
the trial plot was more by 25 per cent as compared to
the normal plot. In one sentence, I would say that customised
fertilisers have all the required nutrients applied as
basal in balanced proportions, which improves fertiliser
uptake of my crops, thereby enhancing yield. It also saves
labour and time. |
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Ranveer Singh
Wheat farmer |
| Customised fertilisers are developed
based on the soil testing results of our area. All the
required nutrients for my wheat crop, according to my
soil conditions are now available in a single product.
I don’t have to buy different fertilisers for different
nutrients. There is an increase in yield as well as the
quality of wheat from the trial plots in which customised
fertilisers were administered. There were more panicles
in the plant. The number of grains in the panicles was
also more. I am completely satisfied with the trial results.
I am anxiously waiting for the product to come to the
market |
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Manjeet Singh
Farmer |
| Customised fertilisers are developed
for specific crops and specific regions. The formulation
for wheat is different from that of potato, which in turn
is different from that of sugarcane. Customisation provides
convenience as I can now go to the shop and ask for a
particular formulation/grade for the crop I am cultivating.
I don’t have to calculate the individual quantities
of DAP, MOP, sulphur, zinc etc for my wheat crop. There
are no hassles of mixing different types and forms of
fertilisers. Customised fertilisers available in granule
form will provide all the required nutrients for my wheat
crop in correct and uniform proportions all across my
field. I have benefited from this fertiliser to a great
extent. |
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Vijay Tyagi
Sugarcane farmer |
| We don’t know the exact quantity
of micro-nutrients to be used in sugarcane. It is very
difficult for us to calculate and mix all required nutrients
in right proportion. All the required nutrients for sugarcane
are available in a single bag of customised fertiliser
which, in turn, helped us in saving time and labour. I
have noticed that in the trial plots where customised
fertiliser was applied, the number of tillers were more.
Height as well as girth of cane was more compared to normal
field. Sugarcane recovery percentage also increased by
15-20 per cent in the canes of trial plots. Customised
fertilisers are very effective. |
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