Mumbai, Aug 19: The Fertiliser Association of India, Northern Region, in collaboration with the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, organised a Fertiliser Orientation Program for final and pre-final year agriculture students. 138 students attended the program, which was inaugurated by Prof. B.J. Rao, Pro-Chancellor, SGT University
Prof. B.J. Rao, in his inaugural address, underlined that fertiliser security is directly linked to food security, stressing the importance of understancrisding plant physiology, nutrient absorption, and the vital role fertilisers play in improving farm productivity. He expressed confidence that programs of this nature keep students current with both the science and the sector.
Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Director General, FAI, who delivered the Keynote Address, drew attention to a challenge the sector can no longer defer. “India’s net cultivated area stands at around 140 million hectares and there is limited scope to expand it further. The only path to higher agricultural production is through better yields and that requires moving beyond traditional fertilisers toward organic, bio, nano, fortified, and customised alternatives,” he said.
Dr. Chaudhari also flagged India’s significant import dependence for fertiliser raw materials and finished products, noting that the industry working closely with the government has managed to ensure fertiliser availability for farmers even through recent geopolitical disruptions.
On the opportunity side, the DG struck an encouraging note for the student audience. The agriculture sector, he said, offers enormous career opportunities that are still being underutilised by graduates and the time to tap them is now.
Seven presentations were made by resource persons from the fertiliser sector and CFQC&TI, Faridabad. Three students were awarded FAI publications for their performance in a quiz competition held during the program.
Dr. Pooja Pant, Dean, FASC and Dr. R.K. Yadav, Professor, FASC, SGT University also addressed the participants.