New Delhi, July 21 -- The Union agriculture ministry has called for stricter checks on crop nutrients such as nano urea and a possible ban on growth boosters known as biostimulants after complaints from farmers that these have increased costs without clear results, a move that follows an initial policy to push a set of newer forms of fertilisers. Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a crackdown on unregulated biostimulants, said to have no proven benefits on crop health, besides writing to states to prohibit the forced selling of nano urea, a newer, liquid form of the fertiliser popularised by the Modi government as a more efficient alternative since being launched in 2021. To be sure, the government has not changed its policy of promoting nano fertilisers, which, it maintains, yields better results when used as recommended. However, in the case of biostimulants, Chouhan has ordered that no such formulation can be sold without validation by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Chouhan's directions came after long-standing complaints of widespread sale of fake, spurious and inactive formulations, especially biostimulants. The minister had said earlier this month that he had received complaints of farmers being forced to buy nano urea along with conventional fertilisers. The farm ministry had earlier pushed state governments to promote the use of nano fertilisers, which has helped to save imports of over 60 million 45-kg bags of the nitrogen-rich fertiliser because the liquid form is said to be far more potent in much smaller quantities. In a letter to CMs last week, Chouhan referred to farmers' complaints that dealers were not selling conventional subsidised fertilisers such as urea and DAP unless they also bought nano-fertilisers or biostimulants. "It is illegal to force farmers to purchase other products by tagging them with conventional fertiliser bags," Chouhan wrote. India relies on imports of finished fertilisers and raw materials to meet domestic demand. The government subsidises these to farmers through manufacturers, who sell them at a discount. These firms are then reimbursed by the government....