Central Govt Assures Comfortable Fertiliser Supply for Kharif Season

The Central government assured that fertiliser supplies across the country remain comfortable during the ongoing kharif season, despite global headwinds, rejecting speculation of any unprecedented shortage.

In an official statement on Friday, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said that for the 2025 kharif season, urea availability stands at 18.3 million tonnes against a pro-rata requirement of 14.3 million tonnes, with sales already reaching 15.5 million tonnes. For DAP, availability has been pegged at 4.9 million tonnes against the demand of 4.5 million tonnes, of which 3.3 million tonnes have been sold so far. In the case of NPKs, availability is around 9.7 million tonnes compared to the requirement of 5.8 million tonnes, with sales already at 6.45 million tonnes.

“As evident from the data above, the availability of fertilisers has remained comfortable during the ongoing season so far. It is noteworthy that as of 20 August 2025, urea sales have increased by over 1.3 million tonnes compared to the same period last year. Despite this increase in sales, the Department of Fertilisers has ensured uninterrupted availability of urea across the country by maximizing domestic production and procurement through global tenders,” the ministry said.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently noted that urea sales this kharif season have surged due to a larger area being brought under paddy and maize.

The statement underlined that the Department of Fertilisers (DoF) is responsible for ensuring timely and adequate availability of fertilisers nationwide. Before every cropping season, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) assesses state-wise requirements, based on which the DoF issues monthly supply plans broken down by state and company.

While the government admitted that the prevailing geopolitical climate has disrupted supply chains, it stressed that steps have been taken to shield Indian farmers from any impact. The Red Sea crisis, it said, has forced shipments to be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, adding over 6,500 km to the voyage and delaying arrivals, particularly for DAP. Additionally, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Iran conflict have pushed fertiliser prices higher in global markets.

“A supply arrangement of 2.5 million tonnes of DAP has been secured between a consortium of Indian fertiliser companies and Morocco. Furthermore, in July 2025, a Long-Term Agreement (LTA) was signed between Saudi Arabia and Indian companies for the annual supply of 3.1 million tonnes of DAP for five years, starting 2025-26,” the ministry said.

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