ON 13 October 1908, a German Chemist Fritz Haber filed his patent on “Synthesis of Ammonia from its Elements” which marked the beginning of “synthetic fertilizer,” a technological leap of unprecedented scale. A hundred years on, we still live in a world which is highly dependent on synthetic fertilizers as an indispensable resource for agriculture – which is the primary sector of any agri-economies like Pakistan, where more than a quarter of the national GDP, more than half of the labour employments and more than three-quarters of the food production in the country are directly dependent on agriculture, impact of which can be seen from the fact that since the introduction of synthetic fertilizers in the 1960s. Agricultural produce in Pakistan has increased by over 350%, larger part of which is credited to Synthetic Fertilizers that provide an alternate means of replenishing the lost nutrients to the soil.
Among the important nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus are considered most essential ones for plant growth and increased productivity. The best-known nitrogenous fertilizer is Urea which carries 46% nitrogen by weight, followed by Phosphorus which helps transfer energy from sunlight to plants, stimulates plant growth and hastens maturity, examples of which include Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) or Nitro Phosphate (NP) Fertilizers. Potassium is also an important nutrient that increases vigour and disease resistance of plants, helps form starches, sugars and oils in plants, and can improve fruit quality. Other important nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and boron represent a very small fraction of all synthetic fertilizers used.
In Pakistan, balanced fertilization is an important issue. Country’s nutrient consumption ratio is heavily skewed towards nitrogenous fertilizers with lesser use of phosphatic fertilizers. Potash fertilizers are also used much scarcely, whereas micronutrient usage is almost insignificant. This is mainly because of farmers’ lack of knowledge, product prices and availability issues.
Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), the leading fertilizer manufacturer and market leader in Pakistan, is aggressively pursuing research and development initiatives to synthesize high efficiency controlled release fertilizers specifically tailored for Pakistani soil. FFC has also been collaborating with various local and international agencies to find ways and means of improving the fertilizer use efficiency in Pakistan. The company maintains an elaborate customer support system to educate farmers and provide free of cost technical assistance (like soil analysis) at their doorstep. In order to further supplement company’s commitment to agriculture advancement, patronage of small rural farmers and a sustained contribution to “Zero Hunger.” The FFC in 2019 unveiled its flagship “Food Security and Agriculture Centre of Excellence-FACE”(not for profit program), which owing to its all inclusive service spectrum and grass root outreach has been termed as a model for developing agriculture economies. Associated feature of the program includes gender inclusion segments, loans for livestock and training on kitchen gardening, poultry, dairy processing and other market skills.
The significance of fertilizer for food security, economy and environment cannot be overruled. Accordingly, attention of Government towards designing of agri-friendly policies are thus mandatory. Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world to have the natural resources, technology and skilled work force to facilitate in-country production of synthetic fertilizers, however, requires farsighted planning and prudent policy measures to ensure national food security in the country, boost GDP and save FOREX by promoting local fertilizer manufacturing using indigenous gas resources. FFC is making all out efforts to contribute towards Food Security. Establishment of FACE is a point in case and step in the right direction.
—Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited
