Producing chemical fertilizer and emphasizing its under-use, a farmers’ cooperative IFFCO has also been active promoting biofertilizer in no small way as on Wednesday its MD Dr US Awasthi tweeted biofertiliser has been successfully dispatched from its Paradeep unit.
His tweet read” Happy to share that #IFFCO #Paradeep unit today dispatched 5200 Litres of #BioFertilisers made in it’s new biofertiliser plant in #Odisha.
IFFCO has set up several bio-fertilizer units in its different locations. A biofertiliser unit was established at Cooperative Rural Development Trust, Phulpur (Uttar Pradesh) in 1996 – 97 and other at Kalol (Gujarat) in 2003-04 with an annual capacity of 75 MT and 165 MT respectively of different cultures such as Rhizobium, Azotobacter, PSM, Azospirillium and Acetobacter, read its website.
Some of the types of bio-fertilizer produced include Phosphate Solubilising Micro Organism, Azotobacter , Azospirillium , Rhizobium and Acetobacter.
In 2014 during MD’s visit to Phulpur he inaugurated yet another semi-automated biofertilizer unit to produce Azetobactor and Phosphobacteria, said an official.
Dr Awasthi is a champion of the cause “Save our soil” and has been driving home the point in all the farmers’ meets , said one of the Directors of IFFCO to Indian Cooperative.
I am an agricultural microbiologist worked for my M.Sc.(Ag.) and Ph. D . from Calcutta University in 1980. I have recently retired from NIRJAFT (ICAR) as Principal Scientist. I am free to work as adviser in any organization who need my help. I have a potent phosphate solubilizing and phytohormone producing biofertilizer which has not been used commercially. At present I am attached with Calcutta university as guest lecturer for
M. Sc.(Ag.) course. I have written two books in Bengali on agricultural microbiology published by West Bengal State Book Board for students. I feel biofertilizer use should be increased in our country significantly for evergreen sustainable agriculture and maintenance of soil fertility, soil health and as such pollution free healthy environment.