Fertilizers are important in agriculture because they include a combination of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Fertilizers, like every other mineral, go through a series of steps before reaching their ultimate, useable state. Granulation is a procedure that enhances particle size, minimises loss, and ensures higher precision in fertiliser field applications as part of the value chain.
Granular or dry fertilizer is a type of fertilizer which comes in a dry pelleted form, as opposed to spikes, a liquid, or powder. Most garden stores carry several different types of granular fertilizer, along with an array of formulations which are designed to address specific soil conditions.
NPK fertilizers are three-component fertilizers providing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. NPK rating is a rating system describing the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a fertilizer. NPK ratings consist of three numbers separated by dashes (e.g., 10-10-10 or 16-4-8) describing the chemical content of fertilizers. The first number represents the percentage of nitrogen in the product; the second number, P2O5 the third, K2O.
The majority of granular fertilisers are slow-release. They can be in the form of pellets or coarse powders that are supposed to break down slowly over months with each watering. Before you backfill your soil and plant, apply granular fertilisers to the planting hole according to the directions. It can also be applied as a top dressing to already-established plants, though the results will be less effective than pre-planted applications.
With each fresh planting, you should think about using granular fertilisers (except cacti or succulents which require low nitrogen and high minerals instead). For most plants, organic granular fertilisers with a virtually balanced analysis, such as MicroLife Multi-Purpose 6-2-4 and Fox Farm All Purpose 6-4-5, would suffice; these products are adaptable and give consistent nutrition for any plant, turf grass, or tree. You can use a granular product with a higher nitrogen content if you're planting heavy-feeding plants like tomatoes, fruit trees, peppers, or most other edibles.
Fertilizers have played a key role in the success of India's green revolution and subsequent self-reliance in food-grain production. The increase in fertilizer consumption has contributed significantly to sustainable production of food grains in the country. As a result, the demand of fertilizers has witnessed double digit growth rates over the past several years. The Indian fertilizer market reached a value of INR 887 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the market expect to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% during 2021-2026.
The NPK Fertilizer market is valued at 41080 million USD in 2020 is expected to reach 49950 million USD by the end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of 2.8% during 2021-2026.
The use of organic fertilizers for various crops has gained popularity due to the promotion by the government for more sustainable use and better management of natural resources. The use of these organic products will also reduce the dependence on mineral fertilizers which are now more expensive. With continued use, the soil fertility will also improve.
The number of local manufacturers of these organic fertilizers has also increased over the last few years to supply to the vegetable and fruit crop areas. More recently, organic fertilizers fortified with chemical fertilizers have also been marketed into the plantation crop sectors.
Key Players
1. Basant Agro Tech (India) Ltd.
2. Coromandel International Ltd.
3. Deccan Sales Corpn. Ltd.
4. Deogiri Fertilisers Ltd.
5. Fertilisers & Chemicals, Travancore Ltd.
6. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-Op. Ltd.
