One Nation One Fertiliser

One Nation One Fertiliser

#GS-03 Agriculture

For Prelims:

About One Nation One Fertiliser scheme.

  • It has been implemented under the fertiliser subsidy scheme named “Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna” (PMBJP) of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.
  • Under ONOF companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.
  • The remaining two-thirds space was used to display the “Bharat” brand and Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana logo.
  • All subsidised soil nutrients – urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP), and NPK – will be marketed under the single brand Bharat across the nation.
  • This scheme applies to both public & private sector companies.

For Mains:

The benefits of ONOF:

  • Since fertilizers of a particular category must meet the nutrient-content specifications of the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), there is no product differentiation among different brands for each type of fertilizer.
  • ‘One Nation, One Fertiliser’ will help farmers overcome their confusion over brand-specific choices.
  • It has been found that brand preferences have resulted in fertilizer-supply delays to farmers and an extra burden on the exchequer due to increased freight subsidies needing to be paid for the long-distance crisscross movement of fertilizers.
  • The One Nation One Fertiliser scheme will prevent the criss-cross movement of fertilisers and reduce high freight subsidies.

The concerns:

  • It will disincentivise fertiliser companies from undertaking marketing and brand promotion activities.
  • They will now be reduced to contract manufacturers and importers for the government.
  • Currently, in case of any bag or batch of fertilisers not meeting the required standards, the blame is put on the company. But now, that may be passed on fully to the government.