Rohtak, May 24 -- The Haryana agriculture department claims to have reduced the state's fertiliser consumption by around 1.26 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in six months, resulting in savings of Rs.334.43 crore in subsidy expenditures.

According to an affidavit submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), these measures aim to improve soil health and tackle the impact of climate change on agriculture.

The affidavit was filed by agriculture director Rajnarayan Kaushik in response to suo motu proceedings initiated by the NGT. Those proceedings followed an ICAR study published in newspapers, which warned that excessive and imbalanced fertiliser use was reducing soil organic carbon and damaging soil fertility in states like Haryana and Punjab...