Why In News ?

• Recently 'Urea Gold' fertilizer was launched by the Prime Minister of India.
• Its formulation has been developed by Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF), a leading public sector fertilizer and chemical company.

Static 

• Urea is a white crystalline compound.
• Urea is used to increase the fertility of the soil.
• India is the top country in urea production in the world.
• It is commonly used in agriculture as a synthetic fertilizer.
• When it is sprayed on soil or crops, urea is broken down by enzymes into ammonia and carbon dioxide.
• Urea is a widely used fertilizer in India, with consumption/sales expected to increase from 26.7 million tonnes (mt) to 35.7 million tonnes (mt) between 2009-10 and 2022-23.
• Urea Gold is manufactured by mixing urea with sulfur to form a compound fertilizer with 37% nitrogen (N) and 17% sulfur (S).
• Indian soils have to meet the sulfur requirements and increase the Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE).
• Normal urea contains 46% of the nitrogen of a single plant nutrient.
• Neem Coated Urea: It is a modified form of urea which is coated with neem oil.