Government to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea

The Government on Monday said it is in the process of finalising imports of 17 lakh tonnes of urea to boost domestic supply and asserted that it does not see any major challenge in availability of fertilisers for the ongoing Kharif sowing season.

At an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Bandana Preyashi, the joint secretary in the Department of Fertilizers, said, “Overall stock position of fertilisers in the country is comfortable”.

She informed that the agriculture ministry has reassessed fertiliser requirements at 383.9 lakh tonnes for the current Kharif (summer-sown) season.

Against this projected demand, Preyashi said the stock, as of today, is 196.65 lakh tonnes, significantly higher than the usual level of about 33 per cent. Farmers have already bought. “This reflects improved planning, advanced stocking, and efficient logistics management by the Government,” the joint secretary said.

On the sales front, Preyashi said that farmers have already purchased 102.78 lakh tonnes of chemical fertilisers in the ongoing kharif season, which is around 37 per cent of the total requirement.

“Pending consumption is 281.12 lakh tonnes, and out of that we have 196 lakh tonnes available today,” she said, adding that the stock position is comfortable because of domestic production as well as imports.

During this ongoing crisis period, Preyashi said the country has secured more than 50 lakh tonnes of urea and P&K (phosphatic and potassic) fertilisers.

She said the Government entity has floated a tender to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea and the same is in the “process of finalisation”. State-owned National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL), which recently floated a tender to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea, has received bids for over 60 lakh tonnes with the lowest rate of about $ 445 per tonne from global trading companies.