Stringent rules on bio-fertilisers

April 22, 2006

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, April 21: The State government has come out with stringent rules on bio-fertilisers including compulsory registration of manufacturers to protect the interests of farmers, who are increasingly turning to natural manures following their bad experiences with chemical fertilisers.
Manufacturers and marketers of bio-fertilisers and organic fertilisers will now have to register themselves with the agricultural department on or before May 31. The new amended rules to the Fertiliser Control Order - 2006 will come into force from June 1.
Those violating the FCO like selling or manufacture of spurious or substandard bio-fertilisers or organic fertilisers will attract imprisonment up to seven years and fine. Minor offences will attract jail sentence up to one year and fine.
The State government first introduced legislation a couple of months ago and inspired by the Act, the Central government issued orders extending Fertiliser Control Order to the entire country. The new legislation covers bio-fertilisers like rhizobium, phosphate solubilising bacteria, azotobacter and azospirillum while organic fertilisers include city compost, vermi-compost and pressmud.
Agriculture Commissioner Poonam Malakondaiah said the State has about 60 bio-fertiliser and organic fertiliser manufacturing units and in the absence of any regulations so far, farmers have been losing heavily because of spurious or substandard fertilisers.
"All our efforts to promote bio-fertilisers in the State have yielded little results because of spurious commodity available in the market. Now that we have come out with stringent rules and compulsory registration, farmers will go in for bio-fertilisers on a massive scale," she told reporters on Friday.
The State government has notified FCO laboratory at Rajendranagar for analysis of bio-fertilisers and organic fertilisers.