With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:At present, the r

Question

With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

The Government of India subsidizes fertilizers to ensure that fertilizers are easily available to farmers and the country remains self-sufficient in agriculture. The same has been achieved largely by controlling the price of fertilizer and the amount of production. For example, as per the New Urea Policy of 2015, the government fixes the market price of urea. Also, there is a fixed subsidy component as well. Similarly, for Phosphorous and Potassium, as per the Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme of 2010, subsidy is provided based on nutrient content per kg of fertilizer. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.Fertilizer production uses 1.2% of the world’s total energy, out of which 90% is used for ammonia production, which is a key ingredient in the production of nitrogen fertilizers. Ammonia can be produced from natural gas. Hence, statement 2 is correct.Sulfur is a major by-product of oil refining and gas processing. Most crude oil grades contain some sulfur, most of which must be removed during the refining process to meet strict sulfur content limits in refined products. Industries, for instance, the Mathura oil refinery, have been responsible for producing pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Also, Sulphur is used in phosphoric acid fertilizer (There is a process known as The Wet Process for producing the same). Hence, statement 3 is correct.Sources:NCERT: Class 9 Science