The country’s production of urea in April, has reached 2.1 million tonne (MT), same level as last year after output dipping to 1.65 MT in March due to cut in LNG supplies disruption due to West Asia conflict, a fertiliser ministry official said on Thursday.
“This month’s urea production has reached almost the same level compared to the same period last year,” Aparna Sharma, additional secretary, department of fertilizers said in a briefing. The urea production in April, according to the ministry, would be in the range of 2.08 MT – 2.1 MT as compared to 2.18 MT in April, 2025.
Since the beginning of the conflict in middle-east, 7.8 MT of fertilizer variants – urea, Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) or NPKs and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) – have been added to the stock through domestic production (6.23 MT) and imports (1.53 MT), the ministry official said. “The fertiliser availability remains robust even and the supplies continue to exceed the requirement,” the official said.
LNG Allocation Reaches 97%
On the availability of fertilizers, Sharma said that currently there are 19.38 MT of fertilisers – urea (7.3 MT), DAP (2.2 MT), NPKs (5.84 MT), SSP (2.62 MT) and muriate of potash (1.24 MT), which is 50% of the estimated projected demand of 39 MT for the forthcoming kharif season. There is higher stock of soil nutrients currently against the norm of 33%.
Since April 6, the overall LNG, a key fee stock in urea manufacturing, allocation for fertiliser units was raised to around 95% of their six-month average consumption, boosting output prospects, an official said. “Now we have taken measures to import gas (at the spot market) even at a higher cost. Availability of gas for urea units, which earlier was 60-65%, is now 97%. So our urea production has been very good after that,” Sharma had stated in a briefing earlier this week.
To boost LNG supplies, a key feedstock for urea production, the state-owned GAIL will buy gas from the spot market from countries such as Australia, Russia and the United States starting March 17.
Strategic Imports
The official said that the government is aiming to source 3.8 MT of urea through a global tender by Indian Potash (2.5 MT import approved) and 1.3 MT (Rashtriya chemicals and fertilisers approved in February, 2026. In addition the global tender for imports of DAP (1.2 MT), TSP (0.4 MT) and Ammonium Sulphate (0.3 MT) by fertiliser companies had been floated last week.
Officials said that despite high global prices, retail prices of fertiliser remain unchanged. Urea continues to be sold at Rs 266.50 per 45 kg bag against global prices exceeding Rs 4000 a bag. Despite the global fluctuations in prices, the retail DAP prices are maintained at Rs 1,350 per 50 kg bag for farmers, an official said. ”This shows the government’s commitment to shielding farmers from global price volatility while ensuring affordability and accessibility,” according to an official note.