India’s Fertilizer Fix: How Cutting Urea Subsidies Can Boost Pulses, Soil Health, and Protein Access

August 12, 2025

India has been heavily subsidizing nitrogen fertilizers, especially urea, to help farmers and ensure food security. But guess what? This well-meaning policy has caused some big problems! Farmers keep using mostly urea, which harms the soil and makes India import lots of pulses – the natural protein powerhouse. Now experts say it’s time to adjust nitrogen fertilizer prices carefully and watch magic happen without hurting farmers.

For Farmers: Soil Health Revival Through Balanced Fertilizers

The cheap urea subsidy pushed the balance of soil nutrients way off track. Instead of the perfect nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) ratio of 4:2:1, it’s roughly 11:5:1 now! This mess damages soil, pollutes groundwater, and even adds to climate change gases. But a slow, steady raise in nitrogen prices will make farmers think twice. They might start using fertilizers wisely and turn to pulses like lentils, chickpeas, and pigeon peas. Why? These legumes naturally grab nitrogen from the air and put it back into the soil! Studies show pulses can cut synthetic nitrogen use by 20-50%, boost soil health, and diversify crops without hurting yields.

India already leads the world with 35 million hectares of pulse farms. However, cheap urea pushes farmers to grow more cereals, widening the pulse demand-supply gap. Fixing nitrogen prices could shift farming patterns toward pulses and bring back healthy, nitrogen-rich soil.

For Government: Big Money Savings and Stronger Food Systems

Urea subsidy dominates India’s fertilizer bill at ₹1.44 lakh crore for 2024-25, making up 75% of total fertilizer subsidy. Just a 10% price hike could save the government over ₹14,000 crore (about US$1.8 billion) and cut fertilizer import bills by $830 million annually! More savings could support pulses farming, soil health programs, and aid for farmers.

India imports 6.8 million tonnes of pulses every year, costing nearly $4 billion. Lowering fertilizer and pulse imports will make India’s food system stronger and protect foreign exchange reserves. With its huge pulse sector, India can also boost exports and tap into the rising global market for plant-based protein.

Cutting subsidies and promoting pulses can help shift India’s diet away from cereal-heavy plates to more balanced protein meals, supporting the country’s huge population and nutrition goals.

For Consumers: More Affordable Protein on the Plate

More than two-thirds of Indian families don’t get enough protein! Only 18-19% meet the recommended intake, even though pulses have been part of Indian meals for ages. Making pulses cheaper and more available is key to fixing this.

Pulses also help fight diabetes, a big health worry in India affecting 77 million people. Their high protein and fiber improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity. Sadly, pulses prices and changing food habits, especially among urban youth, keep consumption low.

A Bright Road Ahead

To unlock these benefits, India needs a smart, broad policy:

Slowly rationalize nitrogen fertilizer subsidies to promote balanced fertilizer use, boosting pulse farming.
Use modern biotech tools like gene editing to create better pulse varieties with higher nitrogen fixing and yields.
Support pulses with assured markets, quality seeds, crop insurance, and more to encourage farmers, especially in rice-wheat regions.
Use tech like AI advisories and nano-fertilizers to improve farming.
Build better storage and processing units to cut pulse losses.
Strengthen Farmer Producer Organizations to create market-driven pulse value chains.
Create demand by exploring export opportunities in the plant-based protein market.

India’s challenges around farming, environment, and nutrition are connected tightly. Continuing with the same old urea subsidies is not an option. A pulse-focused plan with rational fertilizer pricing can bring soil back to life, boost farmer incomes, save government money, and put protein on every Indian’s plate. But this needs strong political will and teamwork across sectors to break the nitrogen trap – and fast!