The data are available on a monthly and seasonal basis permitting detailed study, interpretation and utilisation for not only improving fertiliser production but also to help in the distribution, marketing and consumption functions. Future planning is based on comprehensive analysis available. The country's fertiliser data model has caused excitement the world over and is now being copied by other nations.

There are one or two missing links in the available data which need to be made good. The country does not possess the precise crop-wise fertiliser consumptiondata.

Various surveys have been carried out by fertiliser manufacturers, NCAER, FAI etc., which have indicated the state-wise and crop-wise trends for those particular years. We broadly know that paddy, wheat and sugarcane consume 50 to 55 per cent fertiliser, cotton, groundnut takes 10 to 15 per cent, vegetables and fruits take about 15 per cent, other cereals take 10 per cent, while oilseeds and pulses take nearly 10 per cent.

However, these national trends are not applicable in certain states where the picture is quite different. Moreover, Data are discontinuous. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, there have been major changes in the cropping pattern during the last 15 years. Soyabean, sunflower, castor, mustard, fruit crops have emerged in a big way in these states resulting in changes in crop-wise fertiliser consumption patterns.

What we need is a system by which we can collect district wise, crop-wise fertiliser consumption figures on a regular basis. This will greatly facilitatefurther planning and enhance fertiliser consumption in selected crops like oil seeds, pulses, rainfed cereals etc.

The state governments are regularly carrying out crop cutting surveys, which is a good representative sample. In these surveys provision can be made to collect crop-wise fertilizer consumption data on a regular basis. Secondly, in all the states village-level workers have been assigned specific villages for year round work.

They are expected to keep regular contacts with selected farmers and guide them with regard to improved farm practices and thereby enhance crop yields. If these village level workers are provided with proper questionnaires to collect fertiliser consumption data on a crop-wise basis along with the consumption figures of other agricultural chemicals and use of hybrid seed, then our data bank would become more comprehensive and would permit us to plan not only for higher fertiliser consumption but also give us new avenues for enhancing use efficiency of agro inputs.

Thestate governments will have to take initiative in this regard and start collecting information from rabi 1998-99 harvest period.

The second point that needs to be considered is the taluka-wise consumption figures of fertilisers. The first 40 districts consuming large quantities of fertilisers belong to Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The consumption of each of these districts is now close to what was the state level consumption 20 years ago.

Thus our district wise fertiliser consumption profile is now very high.

In fact Firozpur district of Punjab consumed 1,71,000 t of NPK in 1996-97 which was the national consumption figure for 1957-58.

It is therefore necessary to now undertake taluka-wise fetiliser consumption planning in developed districts because it is seen that the overall consumption in the district because it is seen that the overall consumption in the district is high, but taluka-wise variation isalso high and taluka-wise planning will further help in boosting fertiliser consumption in these districts.

For this purposes it is necessary to collect taluka-wise fertilisers consumption figures as it is being done for district-wise consumption figures.

The state govt's can take up this work easily because initially the work will be limited to 2 to 5 districts in a state. Once these data become available and prove useful for further planning, the concept can be extended to all other districts.

The fertiliser manufacturers can always co-operate and participate with the state government in carrying out the above two programmes which should be discussed with manufacturers on state wise basis. This will give indirect encouragement and strengthen fertilizer consumption and promotion programmes which seem to have come to a standstill at present.