Sulphur coated Urea

As part of initiatives for promotion of alternate fertilizers, the government has introduced the new fortified Urea combination - Sulphur coated Urea (SCU) also called as Urea Gold. 

Sulphur coated urea is inter-alia being proposed as a premium urea in the market.  It is being called as Urea gold because of its yellowish-goldish colour. The Department is, therefore, considering to introduce a 40 kg bag which can be equal to 45 kg bag of urea. 

What is Sulphur coated urea

Sulphur Coated Urea (SCU) is a non-organic slow-release fertilizer that is a result of coating urea with sulphur. Such a coating of urea granules with sulphur results in the formation of a membrane that regulates the availability of nitrogen for plant growth. It is generally prepared by coating preheated urea granules with molten sulfur. The SCU generally contains about 31%–38% N. Besides improving nitrogen use efficiency, the availability of Sulphur also improves plant growth. 

Urea Gold introduced in India contains S-17% and N-37%. 

Production of Sulphur coated urea in India

Sulphur coated urea was originally developed at the Tennessee Valley Authority laboratories and manufactured commercially for almost 30 years in USA. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF) have produced in-house laboratory scale SCU with specifications of FCO, 1985. 

Benefits of Sulphur coated Urea

• As per the study conducted by ICAR, use of Sulphur coated Urea (SCU) leads to reduction in urea consumption by 25%.
• There is mostly deficiency of Sulphur content in the soil, which is also being addressed by Urea Gold.
• It has basically two advantages; first is its slow-release mechanism and second, it increases the nitrogen adsorption efficiency by 40%.  Moreover, it improves the plant growth/ quality and the yield of seeds, especially oilseeds. 

Cost of SCU

The actual cost of one bag of urea is more than Rs. 2,000 but it is being sold for Rs. 266 due to government subsidy. Sulphur coated urea is probably to be subsidized and most likely a 40 kg bag of urea gold may be sold for Rs. 400 to Rs. 500. 

Source : Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers