
Food security: how natural gas can help India's farmers
Farming is essential to India’s economy. In 2015 a severe fertiliser shortage threatened crops, sparking mass panic and emergency imports. Now the Western state of Gujarat, where Shell's Hazira joint-venture is based, is using natural gas to increase fertiliser production. Watch this film to find out how.
Watch: Feeding India’s fast-growing population | Shell Natural Gas
Title: Shell_GasAdvocacy_Fertiliser_MedRes_300916
Duration: 2:16 minutes
Description:
Meeting the challenge of food security in India through the supply of natural gas, and specifically the stable supply of fertilizer to India’s farmers.
Shell_GasAdvocacy_Fertiliser_MedRes_300916 Transcript
[Background music plays]
Instrumental music with an Indian flavour, at times with light and delicate notes, at times more rhythmic and dramatic.
[Narrator]
India is one of the fastest growing populations in the world with over 1.3 billion people. As a result, one of its biggest challenges is food security, ensuring that everyone in the country has access to nutritious food. And natural gas could play a crucial role in this.
[Video footage]
Footage of bustling streets in India, The Red Fort in the background and pedestrians, cabs, buses and other vehicles filling the streets.
[Narrator]
In 2015, there was a severe scarcity of fertilizer in Haryana in the North of India. This shortage of urea fertilizer caused panic amongst famers.
[Video footage]
Footage of water-logged crops cutting to bird’s eye view of an arid field.
Against the previous backgrounds, several webpages relating to the fertiliser shortage fly into frame, one after the other.
Interview with Amit Kumar
[Title]
Farmer / Haryana, India
[Text displays]
Amit Kumar / Farmer / Haryana, India
[Amit - subtitles]
Without urea, there is no crop and the farmer is reliant on the crop.
[Video footage]
Footage of Amit driving a tractor pulling a plough in his field.
Mid-shot of Amit speaking to the interviewer who is out of shot, shown against the background of his fields.
Interview with Nitin Shukla
[Title]
Former CEO / Hazira LNG & Port
[Text displays]
Nitin Shukla / Former CEO / Hazira LNG & Port
[Nitin]
Our country needs food security. Our country would like to produce fertilizer within the country, domestically, as much as it can.
[Video footage]
Footage of a man ploughing water-logged fields with a hand hoe.
Mid-shot of Nitin speaking to the interviewer who is out of shot, shown against the background of an LNG tank and plant.
Footage of Amit walking through the water-logged field, fertilising his field.
Interview with Anish De
[Title]
Partner / KPMG India
[Text displays]
Anish De / Partner / KPMG India
[Anish]
It’s the government’s stated objective to be self-sufficient in urea production. And to make it cost-effective, natural gas is absolutely essential which is why we need natural gas infrastructure to expand across the country.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Anish speaking to the interviewer who is out of shot, against the background of an office interior.
Footage of two LNG tanks and the surrounding plant.
[Narrator]
The Western state of Gujarat is one of the first to establish a natural gas infrastructure and the benefits have been significant. Being the cleanest burning hydrocarbon, gas is used not only to power fertilizer plants, but more importantly, it is vital in the production of urea.
[Video footage]
Panning footage of the outside of the natural gas plant in Gujarat.
Footage within the plant of fertiliser being dispensed into large sacks on a production line alongside which several employees are standing, carrying out their duties in the production line.
Low angle footage of a very tall structure against a brilliant blue sky with white, fluffy clouds.
More footage of work taking place on the production line within the fertiliser plant.
Interview with Mr. Rajesh K. Aggarwal
[Title]
Operations Director / KRIBHCO, Gujarat
[Text displays]
Mr. Rajesh K. Aggarwal / Operations Director / KRIBHCO, Gujarat
[Mr Aggarwal]
You’ll be happy to know that fertilizer production has gone up by 30 lakh tonnes in one year.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Mr Aggarwal speaking to the interviewer who is out of shot, against the background of an office interior.
More footage of the sacks of fertilisers passing through the production line, a man passing the filled bags from the conveyor belt to other employees who carry them to the storage space.
[Anish]
The availability of gas has had a massive change in the fertilizer production scenario in the country. It links very closely with the Prime Minister’s ambition, or dream, of actually making the villages clean, self-sufficient and flourishing in every way.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Anish speaking to the interviewer who is out of shot, against the background of an office interior.
Footage of village streets along which cows, adults and children alike walk or cycle or sit.
Footage of the entrances to villagers’ homes, bicycles and motorcycles parked outside, dried herbs hanging in the doorways while the men converse outside.
[Narrator]
To keep this momentum going, the government of India wants to ensure a stable supply of fertilizer to its farmers and so guarantees food security for its people.
[Video footage]
Close-up of the Indian flag flying over The Red Fort.
Footage of Amit walking through his field, fertilising.
Footage of a man ploughing the fields with a hand hoe.
Footage of Amit driving a tractor in his field.
Close-up of the healthy green crop plants in the field, cutting to a low angle view of green leaves against a brilliant blue sky.
[Text displays]
#GasForFoodSecurity
[Audio]
Shell jingle
[Text displays]
© Shell International Limited 2016
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