Allaying fear of possibility of disruptions in fertilisers supplies due to the West Asia conflict, the government on Friday stated that the country’s inventory of soil nutrients remain robust and will be sufficient to meet the demand for the forthcoming kharif season.
Current stock of fertilisers — urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP), etc — are 36.5% higher at 17.73 million tonne (MT) than a year ago, according to a statement by the department of fertiliser.
Record Stockpiles
These stocks majorly include urea (5.93 MT), NPK (5.58 MT) and DAP (2.51 MT), it stated.
“This robust, data-backed inventory conclusively demonstrates that the nation is exceptionally well-stocked and fully insulated against any global supply chain shock, as we approach the peak kharif sowing season,” the statement added. Kharif crops sowing commences in June with the onset of monsoon.
Industry has expressed fear that supplies of key fertilisers and their raw materials may face a supply crunch in the coming months if the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key import route from the Gulf countries, is prolonged.
The impasse on import of LNG from Qatar poses a serious problem. Industry officials said that if imports of feedstock, such as LNG, crucial for urea production, from Qatar and other Gulf countries does not resume and DAP imports from Saudi Arabia are not normalised, fertiliser supplies would begin to reduce by April-May.
Tactical Agility
“These fertiliser reserves provide a vital operational cushion, ensuring that international logistics bottlenecks do not translate into domestic farm-gate shortages,” according to the statement.
To ensure continuity of supplies of all grades of subsidised fertilisers, the department stated that the government has so far imported 9.8 MT of finished fertilisers up to February 2026 and further imports of more than 1.7 MT are already lined up for the next three months.
To optimise resources amid the LNG supply strain, the department has organised a high level meeting with fertilisers makers. In a high-level review meeting, the government assured fertiliser companies that gas supply to their sector remains a top national priority.
It noted that during ‘current’ lean period, when fertiliser companies schedule plant shutdowns for repair and maintenance, these companies have now come forward to pre-schedule their maintenance March to utilise the disruptive time to their advantage.