IFFCO inks pact for export of nano liquid urea to US

Leading fertiliser cooperative Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) on Thursday said it has signed an agreement with California-based Kapoor Enterprises Inc for export of nano liquid urea to the US. The agreement was signed on June 21 in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US.

"IFFCO now started exporting ...Nano liquid urea to the USA," the cooperative said in a statement. IFFCO, however, did not provide any details about the quantity and value of the contract it has bagged from Kapoor Enterprises. Currently, the cooperative is exporting more than 5 lakh bottles of nano liquid urea to more than 25 countries.

In June 2021, IFFCO launched the world's first nano urea fertiliser, while nano DAP in April this year. A 500-mililitre bottle of IFFCO nano urea liquid will replace at least one bag of conventional urea. The bottle can significantly bring down the cost of logistics and warehousing, the cooperative said.

IFFCO has already sold more than 5.7 crore bottles of nano liquid urea in India since its inception in the commercial market, it added. Nano urea has been found to be effective and efficient for plant nutrition.

A report by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) stated that India can reduce Green House Gas (GHG) by 4.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, if the country brings 50 per cent of its rice area under nano urea as per the preliminary report by Regional Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Station, Gerua (Assam) and IRRI-ISARC trials (Kharif 2021).

Another report by E&Y said that "GHG saving from the usage of 5 bottles of nano urea is equivalent to 1 tree planted", the statement added.