Biofertilizers - A way to organic agriculture

Abstract

Fertilizers supply essential plant nutrients, mainly Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K) and Phosphorus (P). These fertilizers increase the yield of the crop but they cause several health hazards. Due to several health hazards, consumer preferences shift towards the use of organic food grown without the use of any chemical. In India, the availability and affordability of fossil fuel based chemical fertilizers at the farm level have been ensured only through imports and subsidies. Today biofertilizers have emerged as a highly potent alternative to chemical fertilizers due to their eco-friendly, easy to apply, non-toxic and cost effective nature. Also they make nutrients that are naturally abundant in soil or atmosphere, usable for plants and act as supplements to agrochemicals. In addition, they are a product that is likely to be commercially promising in the long run once information becomes available adequately to producers and farmers through experience and communication. There is an on-going attempt to promote biofertilizers in Indian agriculture through public intervention and in keeping with the spirit of the times, these policies motivate private sector and the profit motivation will help propel the new technology. Government of India and various state governments have been promoting the nascent biofertilizer market both at the level of the user-farmer and the producer-investor.