The Government of India has emphasized the importance of balanced use of fertilizers and sustainable agricultural practices. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Smt. Anupriya S. Patel, MoS Chemicals and Fertilizers, stated that according to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), there is no single “ideal” NPK usage ratio applicable across the country, as nutrient requirements vary widely depending on crop type, soil health, and agro-climatic conditions. ICAR conducts extensive field experiments and coordinated research trials to determine recommended doses of fertilizers for different crops, integrating both chemical and organic sources.

ICAR recommends soil test-based balanced and integrated nutrient management, combining inorganic fertilizers with organic sources such as manure, bio-fertilizers, green manuring, and crop residue recycling. This is guided by the 4R approach—right quantity, right time, right mode, and right type of fertilizer for judicious use and reduce excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The ICAR also imparts training to different stakeholders, organizes front-line demonstrations, awareness programs etc. to educate farmers on all these aspects.

Following is the study based on the data published by Fertilizer Association of India:

 

Category	N:P:K Range	States
Very Wide Ratio	>20 : 5 : 1	Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
Wide Ratio	12–20 : 4–7 : 1	Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
Moderately Wide	8–12 : 3–5 : 1	Gujarat, West Bengal
Moderate / Improving	6–8 : 3–4 : 1	Odisha, Andhra Pradesh
Near Balanced	5–6 : 2–3 : 1	Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Balanced (close to ideal)	~4 : 2 : 1	Tamil Nadu, Kerala
National Average (India)	~9.8 : 3.7 : 1	Indicates overall nitrogen dominance

 

India’s overall N:P:K ratio remains significantly skewed toward nitrogen compared to the recommended 4:2:1 ratio, reflecting heavy reliance on urea. Strengthening balanced fertilization practices and promoting phosphatic and potassic fertilizers are essential to improve soil health and nutrient-use efficiency.

Further, the information regarding State-wise consumption ratio of NPK for last 3 years is as under:

 

Major States	2022-23 N:P:K	2023-24 N:P:K	2024-25 N:P:K
Andhra Pradesh	7.2 : 3.7 : 1	6.6 : 3.4 : 1	6.1 : 3.2 : 1
Telanagana	17.2 : 6.5 :  1	14.7 : 5.6 :  1	12.6 : 4.8 :  1
Karnataka	6.4 : 3.2 : 1	5.1 : 2.8 : 1	4.8 : 2.4 : 1
Kerala	1.4 : 0.6 : 1	1.4 : 0.6 : 1	1.4 : 0.6 : 1
Tamil Nadu	5.4 : 2.3 : 1	5.4 : 2.3 : 1	4.9 : 2.0 : 1
Puducherry	14.3 : 3.0 : 1	14.4 : 3.4 : 1	11.7 : 3.1 : 1
Gujarat	18.1 : 5.3 :1	16.2 : 5.3 :1	14.7 : 4.6 :1
Madhya Pradesh	24.4 : 12.2 :1	22.5 : 11.8 :1	15.3 : 6.8 :1
Chattisgarh	13.4 : 6.1 : 1	12.9 : 6.7 : 1	11.2 : 5.1 : 1
Maharashtra	5.4 : 3.1 : 1	4.4 : 2.8 : 1	4.2 : 2.5 : 1
Rajasthan	104.9 : 39.2 : 1	95.6 : 37.6 : 1	45.7 : 15.0 : 1
Goa	2.0 : 1.4 : 1	2.1 : 1.2 : 1	1.7 : 0.9 : 1
Haryana	43.5 : 12.0 : 1	44.3 : 11.9 : 1	29.2 : 7.3 : 1
Punjab	50.8 : 12.6 : 1	43.7 : 10.5 : 1	29.8 : 6.5 : 1
Uttar Pradesh	32.7 : 10.2 : 1	28.1 : 9.0 : 1	22.7 : 6.7 : 1
Uttrakhand	27.9 : 7.8 : 1	21.2 : 4.6 : 1	22.2 : 5.1 : 1
Himachal Pradesh	4.8 : 1.3 : 1	5.1 : 1.4 : 1	5.0 : 1.6 : 1
J & K	8.0 : 2.1 : 1	7.9 : 2.1 : 1	8.3 : 2.4 : 1
Bihar	14.4 : 4.5 :1	13.5 : 4.3 :1	11.0 : 3.3 :1
Jharkhand	30.4 : 10.4 : 1	52.2 : 16.8 : 1	37.3 : 11.0 : 1
Orissa	8.8 : 3.8 : 1	8.7 : 4.4 : 1	8.3 : 3.9 : 1
West Bengal	3.0 : 1.7 : 1	2.7 : 1.6 : 1	2.7 : 1.5 : 1
Assam	6.2 : 1.7 : 1	6.9 : 2.0 : 1	5.7 : 1.5 : 1
Tripura	6.0 : 2.9 : 1	4.7 : 2.8 : 1	3.1 : 1.6 : 1
Manipur	6.5 : 1.8 : 1	12.7 : 1.8 : 1	7.0 : 2.5 : 1
Nagaland	-	61.7 : 2.2 : 1	101.0 : 5.8 : 1
ALL INDIA	11.8 : 4.6 : 1	10.9 : 4.4 : 1	9.3 : 3.5 : 1

 

The PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother-Earth (PM-PRANAM) initiative supports States and Union Territories to preserve the health of Mother Earth through in promoting sustainable and balanced fertilizer use, encouraging organic farming, adopting alternative fertilizers, and implementing resource conservation technologies.

Under the PM-PRANAM scheme, there is a provision to provide incentives to States/UTs for reduction of consumption of chemical fertilizers (Urea, DAP, NPK, MOP) in a given financial year, compared to the average consumption over the previous three years, equivalent to 50% of the fertilizer subsidy saved. Of the total grant, 95% will be allocated to the State, while the remaining 5% will be utilized for monitoring, IEC, research, capacity building and reward purposes.

These measures reflect the Government’s commitment to improving soil health, enhancing nutrient-use efficiency, and transitioning towards a more sustainable fertilizer regime for the long-term benefit of Indian agriculture.

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Neeraj Kumar Bhatt/ Amit Kumar/ Shatrughna Prasad

cmc.fertilizers[at]gmail[dot]com

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