during the 60s and early 70s showed a consistently rising trend only to be followed by a more or less fluctuating pattern in recent years. Annual per- centage increase in consumption till 1968 69 was much in excess of 20 per cent barring the year of 1965-66 when the growth rate was unusually low at 1.4 per cent. During the period 1968-69 to 1971-72 the growth rate stablished at a somewhat lower level of 14.6 per cent. Thereafter, the fertiliser consumption scenario has traced a somewhat cyclical trajectory with fluctuations becoming more pronounced in recent years. In contrast to the consumption pattern, fertiliser production in India has recorded a consistently rising trend barring a few years when the growth rate in production went down substantially because of some compelling circumstances. Viewing the performance in a totality the growth rate has been on an average far in excess of 10 per cent.
