PM-PRANAM Launched to Promote Sustainable Fertilizer Use and Restore Soil Health Across States

Over 5,800 Nano DAP and Nano Urea Field Trials Conducted Across 15 Agro-Climatic Zones Under DoF Initiative Balanced NPK and Integrated Nutrient Management Improve Yields by Up to 50%: ICAR Long-Term Findings Posted On: 27 MAR 2026 4:15PM by PIB Delhi The Government continues to drive the "PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother-Earth" (PM-PRANAM), approved on June 28, 2023. The scheme provides a unique grant mechanism to incentivize States and Union Territories (UTs) that successfully reduce their consumption of chemical fertilizers compared to their previous three-year average. All States/UTs are covered under the PM-PRANAM scheme. Under the PM-PRANAM scheme, there is a provision to provide incentives to States/UTs for reduction of consumption of chemical fertilizers (Urea, DAP, NPK, MOP) in a given financial year, compared to the average consumption over the previous three years, equivalent to 50% of the fertilizer subsidy saved. Of the total grant, 95% will be allocated to the State, while provided to the States, 65% is for capital expenditure (capex) projects, preferably as contributions to Centrally Sponsored Schemes, and 30% is untied for other activities, including Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiatives. Department of Fertilizers (DoF) in collaboration with fertiliser companies, has launched Maha Abhiyan to promote the adoption of Nano DAP across all 15 Agro-climatic zones of the country through consultations & field-level demonstrations. Under the guidance of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and the supervision of ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), IFFCO had conducted 2,500 Nano DAP Farmer Field Trials during Kharif and Rabi 2024&ndash;25 and 2,938 Nano DAP Farmer Field Trials during Kharif and Rabi 2025-26 (till 23.03.2026) across 15 Agro-Climatic Zones (ACZs) of the country. Additionally, DoF in collaboration with fertiliser companies, has initiated a nationwide campaign for field-level demonstrations and awareness programmes on Nano Urea Plus in 100 districts. IFFCO had conducted 448 Nano Urea Farmer Field Trials during Kharif and Rabi 2024&ndash;25 and 484 Nano Urea Farmer Field Trials during Kharif and Rabi 2025-26 (till 23.03.2026) across 15 Agro-Climatic Zones (ACZs) of the country under the guidance of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and the supervision of ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The State wise, Agroclimatic Zone (ACZ) wise, Nano Fertilisers Field Trials, including Nano Urea and Nano DAP are placed at Annexure I (Kharif, 2024 (April to September-2024)) , Annexure II (Rabi, 2024-25, (Oct-2024 to Mar-2025)) , Annexure III (Kharif, 2025 (April to September-2025)) and Annexure IV (Rabi, 2025-26 (Oct-2025 to Mar-2026, as on 23.03.2026)). Karnataka State Agriculture Universities have undertaken 2 long term experiments at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK), Bangalore, which are as under: Long Term Fertilizer Experiments are under progress since 1986 at All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRP) on Long-Term Fertilizer Experiments (LTFE), UAS, GKVK, Bangalore to study changes in soil quality, crop productivity and sustainability in Alfisols under finger millet-maize cropping system. The results of the experiments are attached at Annexure V . Long Term Fertilizer Experiments are under progress since 1978 at All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRP) on Dry land Agriculture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore to study the changes in soil quality, crop productivity and sustainability under finger millet mono-cropping and finger millet-groundnut crop rotation. In addition to this, long-term studies conducted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at various locations across diverse agro-ecological regions of the country demonstrate the impact of balanced nutrient application on soil health and crop productivity. The findings indicate that recommended NPK application (100% NPK) improves crop yields by about 20&ndash;30 per cent over nitrogen-only use, while integrated nutrient management (100% NPK + farmyard manure) further enhances productivity by 30&ndash;50 per cent over control plots. Soil organic carbon is highest under integrated nutrient management, improving by about 0.1&ndash;0.3 percentage points over long-term nitrogen-only treatments, indicating better soil health. Microbial biomass carbon is also significantly higher, by 20&ndash;40 per cent, under integrated nutrient management compared to chemical fertilizers alone. In contrast, continuous nitrogen-only application leads to declining yields and deterioration of soil properties over time. Further, under All India Coordinated Research Project on Soil Test Crop Response (AICRP-STCR), soil test-based balanced fertilizer prescription equations have been developed for major crops to enable site-specific nutrient management based on soil fertility and farmers’ resources. Coordinated programmes also promote balanced fertilization and integrated nutrient management through training, demonstrations, and awareness activities. Overall, balanced and integrated nutrient application is essential for sustaining soil fertility, improving crop productivity, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The farmers can purchase their required amount of subsidized fertilizers based on the recommendation of Soil Health Card received by them through any fertilizers retail shop/ Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendra (PMKSK). The subject matter of Soil Health Card falls in the purview of Department of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare and no such proposal of integrate Soil Health Card recommendations with fertilizers supply plan has yet been received from the administrative Ministry. Annexure-I State wise, Agroclimatic Zone (ACZ) Wise, Nano Fertilisers Field Trials by IFFCO (in nos.) during KHARIF, 2024 (April to September-2024) S. No. State Nano Urea Plus Nano DAP Grand Total Targeted Trials Conducted Targeted Trials Conducted Targeted Trials Conducted 1 Andhra Pradesh 4 4 40 39 44 43 2 Andman & Nicobar 5 5 5 5 3 Arunachal Pradesh 1 1 1 1 4 Assam 4 4 55 55 59 59 5 Bihar 8 8 100 100 108 108 6 Chhattisgarh 6 6 20 20 26 26 7 Gujarat 12 12 80 80 92 92 8 Haryana 10 11 50 52 60 63 9 Himachal Pradesh 4 4 20 20 24 24 10 Jammu And Kashmir 0 4 20 19 20 23 11 Jharkhand 4 4 20 20 24 24 12 Karnataka 8 8 80 80 88 88 13 Kerala 2 2 20 16 22 18 14 Madhya Pradesh 10 10 80 80 90 90 15 Maharashtra 12 12 90 90 102 102 16 Manipur 2 2 2 2 17 Mizoram 8 8 8 8 18 Odisha 4 4 60 60 64 64 19 Punjab 14 14 50 50 64 64 20 Rajasthan 14 14 60 60 74 74 21 Tamil Nadu 14 14 85 86 99 100 22 Telangana 10 10 40 40 50 50 23 Tripura 4 4 4 4 24 Uttar Pradesh 44 44 150 150 194 194 25 Uttarakhand 6 6 59 59 65 65 26 West Bengal 10 10 70 70 80 80 27 G Total 200 205 1270 1266 1470 1471 Annexure-II State wise, Agroclimatic Zone (ACZ) wise, Nano Fertilisers Field Trials by IFFCO (in nos.), during RABI, 2024-25, (Oct-2024 to Mar-2025) S. No. State Nano Urea Plus Nano DAP Grand Total Targeted Trials Conducted Targeted Trials Conducted <p style