Neem-coated urea

Neem-coated urea is a fertilizer and an agriculture scheme supported by the Government of India to boost the growth of wheat and paddy,^[1] and curb the black market and hoarding of urea.^[2] Urea that is coated with neem tree seed oil is called neem-coated urea. In January 2015, the urea manufacturers were mandated by the government to increase their production from 35 percent to 75 percent of their subsidised amounts of neem-coated urea.^[3]

In her 2019 budget presentation, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about increased promotion of neem-coated urea among farmers which will help to reduce the cost of cultivation.^[4]

Benefits of neem-coated urea include; increase of crop-specific yields by 15-30% on average along with higher levels of soil fertility.^{[citation needed]}

The patent^{[citation needed]} for neem-coated urea is owned by Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and its assignees are the Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. & Aditya Birla Science and Technology co. ltd. under the guidance of Dr. Prashant Puri, who is the primary innovator in this area.^[5]