September 24, 2025

Get ready for a fertilizer revolution! Mahadhan Agritech, a top Indian fertilizer maker owned by Deepak Fertilisers, is all set to create a water-soluble fertilizer plant — the first of its kind right here in India. The secret spice? A joint venture with Israel’s global giant, Haifa Group. The new unit might be located near a port in Gujarat, Maharashtra, or Karnataka, says Mahadhan’s Chief Operating Officer, Naresh Deshmukh. Deshmukh reveals, "The proposal is between the drawing board and reality. Whatever homework, calculations, groundwork, understanding of the global market, how the demand-supply will be and what kind of potential India will have, we have done everything." Why the big buzz around water-soluble fertilizers? Unlike regular fertilizers that just come in bags to scatter on soil, water-soluble fertilizers dissolve easily and deliver nutrients directly to a plant’s roots — making them twice as effective! Currently, India imports these mainly from Israel, Europe, and China because there is no local factory yet. There’s huge demand too! States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat consume 75% of these specialty fertilizers. These states grow plenty of fruits, vegetables, and flowers which need this magic nutrient boost. Here’s the juicy number: With 6 million hectares under drip irrigation, the potential market for water-soluble fertilizers is around 1.5 million tonnes. However, only 20% of farmers use them now because they cost more and don’t get subsidies. Yet, the secret is that they help produce better quality and higher yields. "Given the population rise and export chances, Mahadhan decided to invest in building this plant," says Deshmukh. Last year, Mahadhan teamed up with Haifa Group under the Solutek brand to market these specialty fertilizers. Their big aim – deliver quality solutions to fruits and veggies growers. Mahadhan’s main fertilizer factories in Taloja (Maharashtra) and Panipat (Haryana) are also looking for global partnerships to strengthen their bulk fertilizer business. The company has 4,000 channel partners and launched two special products called Croptek and Solutek. These provide nutrient mixes tailored for different crops and have approval from the Union Department of Fertilizer. Farmers love these solutions! Sales doubled in the past year, pushing Mahadhan to set a big target of 3.2 lakh tonnes sales this year. Even big companies like Gujarat State Fertilizer Company and Indo Rama are requesting Mahadhan's fertilizers for pilot programs. This shows high confidence in their products. Croptek began with crops like onion, sugarcane, cotton, and soybean but now also serves mustard, castor, and pulses—key government priorities for boosting oilseeds and pulses. Solutek, initially for grapes and pomegranates, is expanding to bananas and tomatoes. Tomatoes are especially popular in South India in areas like Krishnagari, Kolar, Bangalore, Chittoor, and Anantapur. To wrap it up, Deshmukh shares, "Our intention is to go for crop nutrition solution strategy to help farmers improve their productivity." Despite some weather troubles during the kharif season, farmers are adopting better fertilizer use. Fertilizer demand even exceeded supplies for crops sown before July. The good news? "The rabi crops will do well," promises the COO. So, watch out for Mahadhan’s new water-soluble fertilizer plant, set to power Indian agriculture with innovation, quality, and farmer-friendly solutions.

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Tags: Mahadhan agritech, Water-soluble fertilizers, Haifa group, Fertilizer plant, Indian agriculture, Speciality fertilizers,