Push for nano urea to fight recurring droughts in Sathya Sai district

The district administration is urging farmers in Sri Sathya Sai District, which is the hardest hit region in India by a prolonged drought, to adopt nano urea.

As the farmers are struggling to protect their cultivation practices amid rising costs and dwindling water availability, the administration, following advice from agricultural scientists, has assured them that nano urea is a cost-saving and excellent supplement to chemical fertilizers.

District Collector T.S. Chetan said that the administration has embarked on a mission to promote nano urea in drought-hit mandals. “With erratic rainfall and inconsistency in groundwater recharge, every drop of water and every kilogram of fertilizer counts. Agriculture research showed that nano urea will help farmers save up to 25% of urea, and at the same time, their yields will not suffer any reduction. The nano urea, if used judiciously, will serve as soil-applied nitrogen,” he said.

Agriculture department officials said that field trials in Andhra Pradesh turned a success with overwhelming results and efficacy of the crop patterns. “In rice, maize, cotton, and sesame, 75% of the recommended nitrogen plus two nano urea sprays produced yields equal to 100% nitrogen. This means farmers can reduce fertilizer costs significantly and also maintain a healthy output,” said a senior official of the agriculture department.

Farmers who participated in the sensitisation programmes on nano urea said that savings are crucial to them, considering the impact of drought in the region. Ramanna Reddy, a groundnut farmer in Bukkapatnam, said that they cannot afford to spend heavily on fertilizers when irrigation is uncertain. “Last year, I used nano urea, and my harvest was almost the same. This helped cut my input costs at least by a quarter,” he added.

Gowthami from Penukonda said, “In sesame cultivation, nano urea brought us similar yields with fewer bags of fertilizer.” Adoption of the nano urea would definitely lead to good savings, which is crucial for sustenance of agriculture in a drought prone area like Sathya Sai district, she said.

An agriculture scientist, part of the sensitisation programme, cautioned that nano urea is not a complete replacement for soil fertilizers. “Sprays alone cannot substitute basal application. Nano urea is just a supplement, and not a substitute,” he said.

To effectively fight the impact of perennial droughts year after year, the district administration has plans to integrate nano urea promotion with drought relief measures, contingency crop planning, and farmer awareness campaigns.

Collector Chetan highlighted that long-term resilience lies in sustainable practices, “We have asked the officials on field duties to sensitise farmers to balance modern solutions like nano urea with traditional wisdom in water and soil conservation. By doing so, our farmers can withstand these recurring droughts.”