India has sufficient fertiliser stock to meet local demand; farmers need not worry: Nadda

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister J P Nadda on Monday said India has enough fertiliser stocks to meet domestic demand and urged farmers not to panic amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.

“Not only this crisis, India has seen several crises. We are very much sufficient in fertiliser supply. There is no need to fear,” Nadda said at the signing of a supply agreement on green ammonia between fertiliser companies and green ammonia developers. Describing the agreement as a “historic and forward step”, the minister invoked a Hindi adage, “aapda mein avsar dhoondna hai ” (finding opportunity in adversity), and said the process had begun with green ammonia.

The Government, he added, is working to reduce import dependence and move towards self-reliance in the fertiliser sector.

India produced 306.67 lakh tonnes of urea in 2024-25 and imported 56.47 lakh tonnes of the nutrient to meet the domestic demand.

In the first 11 months of this fiscal year, the country has imported 98 lakh tonnes of urea. In an official statement on Monday, the Government said domestic production of urea has been impacted due to the prevailing situation and the Department of Fertilisers has been taking steps to minimise the impact.

“The total requirement for the upcoming Kharif 2026 season is estimated at around 390 lakh tonnes, as against actual sales of 361 lakh tonnes during Kharif 2025,” the statement said.

The Government asserted that adequate stocks are currently available compared to the same period last year.

“Total stock stands at around 180 lakh tonnes, as compared to 147 lakh tonnes last year. The months of April and May are lean agricultural periods and are being utilised for stock build-up ahead of the Kharif season,” it said. “As on today, an adequate stock of all types of fertilisers is available in the country. No major requirement of any fertilisers in the upcoming 2.5 months,” the Government said.

The Gulf region remains a key source for fertiliser imports, accounting for 20-30 per cent of urea and 30 per cent of DAP imports, and also supplies nearly 50 per cent of India’s LNG imports, which is a key feedstock for urea production.

Key raw materials and intermediates such as ammonia, sulphur and sulphuric acid used in the domestic production of P&K fertilisers are also impacted.

“The global fertiliser market has witnessed a sharp increase in prices of inputs including LNG, ammonia and sulphur, along with higher freight and logistics costs,” the statement said.

The Government said the gas supply to urea plants, initially reduced to around 60 per cent, has been progressively increased to 65 per cent and further augmented to 75-80 per cent through alternative arrangements.

“This has increased urea production by 12,000-15,000 tonnes per day, reducing the monthly production loss from 9-10 lakh tonne to around 6-7 lakh tonnes,” it said.

“Domestic production in March stood around 18 lakh tonnes for urea and 9-10 lakh tonnes for P&K fertilisers, compared to 24.78 lakh tonnes and 11.90 lakh tonnes in March 2025,” the statement said.

The Government said that import basket is being diversified across multiple countries, including Russia, Morocco, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Canada, Algeria, Egypt, Finland, and Togo, while 16 Indian missions abroad are coordinating to identify alternative supply sources.