Raipur, Jul 24 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government has stocked over 3.05 lakh bottles of liquid Nano DAP (diammonium phosphate) to tackle any shortage of the fertiliser in the solid form during the ongoing Kharif crop season, officials said on Thursday.
Liquid Nano DAP has emerged as an effective and promising substitute for solid DAP, and its use is resulting in direct savings of around Rs 75 per acre for paddy farmers, an official statement said.
As per state government directives, IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative) has facilitated the storage of over 3.05 lakh bottles of Nano DAP across the state.
Of these, 82,470 bottles have been kept at “double-lock centres”, 1,41,389 bottles at Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, and around 48,000 bottles with private retailers, it said.
According to IFFCO, Nano DAP is an efficient source of nitrogen and phosphorus for all crops. It helps in correcting the nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies in standing crops.
The IFFCO still holds an additional stock of over 33,000 bottles. Each half-litre bottle of Nano DAP is available to farmers at a subsidised price of Rs 600 through cooperative societies, it said.
Agricultural experts said that for one acre of paddy cultivation, instead of 50 kg of solid DAP, farmers can now use 25 kg of solid DAP along with a half-litre bottle of liquid Nano DAP. A 50-kg bag of solid DAP is priced at Rs 1,350, whereas the combination of liquid Nano DAP and reduced solid DAP saves Rs 75 per acre, the release said.
To promote the use of Nano DAP, farmers have been trained in its application methods through awareness drives, the release said.
The agriculture department’s field teams, Krishi Vigyan Kendra scientists, and progressive farmers worked together to demonstrate the combined use of Nano DAP with conventional fertilisers directly in fields, it said Awareness activities, including live demonstrations, were conducted across villages through agriculture chaupals and the ongoing Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, the release said. Informative materials such as pamphlets, banners, and posters on Nano DAP were prominently displayed at cooperative societies, it said.
Field officers from the agriculture department continue to visit farms and guide farmers on the use and benefits of Nano DAP. As a result, farmers are now confidently adopting Nano DAP in their paddy cultivation practices across the state, it added. PTI TKP NR
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