Yara International, a known name in the crop nutrition industry, foresees a surge in the usage of high-quality specialty fertilisers in India. This trend is attributed to a growing number of farmers transitioning from cultivating cereals to focusing on fruits and vegetables. This shift is prompted by the increasing demand for these foods due to evolving dietary preferences.
While specialty fertilisers were initially prevalent in crops like grapes and apples, they are now gaining traction in the cultivation of crops such as potatoes, onions, and sugarcane. Sanjiv Kanwar, the Managing Director of Yara South Asia, highlighted the impact of changing diets on the demand for fruits and vegetables. He explained that the adoption of precision agriculture techniques and the proliferation of drip irrigation systems are driving the adoption of specialty fertilizers.
This advancement in farming practices is leading to enhanced farm productivity and the rise of precision farming. Yara India has experienced remarkable annual growth of around 15-20% in its specialty fertilisers segment. Its urea business is growing at a rate of 23% per year.
In 2018, Yara International acquired the urea manufacturing unit of Tata Chemicals located in Barbala, Uttar Pradesh. This strategic acquisition enabled Yara to expand its presence across approximately 15 states, granting access to a network of about 1,000 distributors and around 65 warehouses.
As reported by BusinessLine, with an annual production of about 1.3 million tons of urea, Yara India has also recently invested in enhancing the energy efficiency of its production unit. To engage with farmers, Yara has established connections through various applications. These apps offer valuable knowledge and information, including hyper-local weather forecasts. Yara’s collaboration with IBM facilitates this weather forecasting service.
