No fertiliser shortage, asserts govt amid war

PTI

New Delhi

There is no shortage of fertilisers in the country in view of the West Asia conflict, the government said on Saturday, asserting that current stocks of urea and other crop nutrients remain “more than adequate”.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi’s partners have also assured it of uninterrupted fertiliser supplies.

“What I can tell you is that India has more than adequate stocks of fertilisers at this point of time, especially for the upcoming Kharif season,” he

“Our stocks of urea are more than what they were at this point last year,” he said at an inter-ministerial media briefing on developments relating to the West Asia crisis. Jaiswal said India’s DAP (Diammonium phosphate) stocks are double of what they were in 2025, while the NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) stock position is similarly much higher today in comparison to last year.

“Observers and commentators would do well to look at the factual situation and not induce panic through uninformed speculation,” he said.

While DAP is the most widely used phosphorus fertiliser, NPK is suitable for all stages of plant growth.

“In so far as our domestic production of urea is concerned, our current production will be more than our nominal consumption, especially since the Rabi season is coming to an end,” the external affairs ministry spokesperson said.

“In addition, we had taken care to advance the scheduled annual maintenance of some our plants, which means that we are able to maximise production with available gas,” he said.

Jaiswal also mentioned the Department of Fertilisers (DoF) putting out global tenders “well in time” in anticipation of the current situation.

“These have received a very good response and we expect to receive the bulk of the quantities ordered from a variety of sources by  end of March. The DoF has also decided to procure spot gas on a competitive basis and the first phase purchase will be by Tuesday,” he said.

“All our partners have assured us of uninterrupted supplies and we hope to attain and maintain comfortable fertiliser stocks by the time Kharif demand peaks by May 15,” he said.

Jaiswal said the DoF is carefully tracking both global and domestic patterns and taking the requisite steps.