FAI Director General Dr. S.K. Chaudhari says a 20 per cent bio-fertilizer supplementation target could cut India’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 per cent

Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Director General, The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), said that bio-fertilisers hold an immense and largely untapped potential to reduce India’s dependence on imported mineral fertilisers. Speaking at FAI’s four-day Training Programme on Biofertilisers for Agricultural Sustainability in Port Blair, he stated that even a realistic 20 per cent nutrient supplementation target through bio-fertilisers could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farmland by up to 40 per cent. He attributed this to the high global warming potential of nitrous oxide and described it as bio-fertilizers’ hidden potential.

Dr. Chaudhari further emphasised that Integrated Nutrient Management combining mineral fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, and organic inputs in the right proportion, is the only scientifically validated pathway to sustaining soil health and long-term agricultural productivity. He said this conclusion has been firmly established through six decades of long-term fertiliser experimentation in the country.

FAI DG called on industry to step up on three fronts: scaling up production capacity through greater private and cooperative investment; maintaining rigorous quality from manufacturing to the farmer’s doorstep; and developing innovative, location-specific microbial formulations — since unlike mineral fertilisers, bio-fertiliser efficacy is inherently soil and ecosystem-specific, and cannot be applied as a one-size-fits-all solution.

The four-day residential Training Programme on Biofertilisers for Agricultural Sustainability is currently underway at Peerless Resort, Corbyn’s Cove, Port Blair from 11 to 14 May 2026. The programme has drawn participants from 15 companies and institutions, including scientists from the ICAR system, fertiliser industry representatives, and government officials.