Pakistan has a population of over 150 million people, growing at an annual rate of 2 percent, with almost a third living below the poverty level. A threefold increase in food crop production during the past thirty years has been made possible by a thirteenfold increase in fertilizer use. However, fertilizer usage is far removed from known, recommended practices with consequent inefficiencies, loss of yield, financial waste and the loss of plant nutrients to the environment.
