Potassium fertilisers can improve crop yields. Indian farmers must reduce nitrogen usage

F or decades, India’s agriculture has relied heavily on the use of chemical fertilisers. The Green Revolution made fertilisers a central pillar of crop management, and sustained growth in fertiliser use has been a key factor in improving the yields of staple crops such as rice and wheat. Today, India is one of the largest consumers of fertilisers in the world, with large government subsidies fuelling widespread adoption and high application volumes. Beyond the obvious pressures on government budgets – the Indian government currently spends between US$10 billion and US$11 billion a year on fertiliser subsidies alone ( Zaveri 2025 ) – the overapplication of chemical fertilisers can lead to environmental degradation through soil acidification and greenhouse gas emissions, and negatively im