Fertilizer Control Order (1985)

To ensure adequate availability of right quality of fertilizers at right time and at right
price to farmers, the Fertilizer was declared as an Essential Commodity and Fertilizer Control
Order (FCO) was promulgated under Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act,1955 to regulate,
trade, price, quality and distribution of fertilizers in the country. The FCO provides for
compulsory registration of fertilizer manufacturers, importers and dealers, specification of all
fertilizers manufactured/imported and sold in the country, regulation on manufacture of fertilizer
mixtures, packing and marking on the fertilizer bags, appointment of enforcement agencies,
setting up of quality control laboratories and prohibition on manufacture/import and sale of non-
standard/spurious/adulterated fertilizers. Accordingly there are 67 Fertilizer Quality Control
Laboratories in the Country which includes 4 set up by Central Government as CFQC&TI,
Faridabad and its three Regional Laboratories. The order also provides for cancellation of
authorization letter/registration certificates of dealers and mixture manufacturers and also
imprisonment from 3 months to 7 years with fine to offenders under ECA. The FCO offence has
also been declared as cognizable and non bailable.

The FCO has been recently amended to make it more user friendly and ensuing effective
enforcement. 5 Urea manufacturers namely; NFL, Sri Ram Fertilizers, Indo Gulf Fertilizers,
Chambal Fertilizers & Tata Chemicals have been permitted to manufacture Neem Coated Urea
under Clause 20 A for commercial trials and M/s IFFCO to manufacture fortified NPK
complexes with Boron and Zinc. Further, M/s Coromandal Fertilizers have been allowed to
manufacture & sell Bentonite Sulphur for commercial trial. Notification of NPK 16:13:33:0:15
(S) in Schedule I Part A is also made. For the first time on the consistant demand of State
Governments the Bio fertilizers and organic manures have been brought under the regulatory
mechanism. In the Schedule III & IV of FCO, 1985, the specification of important Bio fertilizers
(namely; Phosphate Solublizing Bacteria (PSB), Azotobactor, Azospirrillium, Rhizobium) & 3
organic manures (namely Vermi Compost, City Compost & Press mud) has been notified besides
their tolerance limit, method of sampling and analysis.

The enforcement of this Order has primarily been entrusted to State Governments. The
Central Government provides training facilities and technical guidance to States and supplements
their efforts through random inspection of manufacturing units and their distribution network
through the Inspectors.