New Delhi: India has enough fertiliser stocks to meet domestic demand and there is “no need to fear”, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister JP Nadda said on Monday, urging farmers not to panic amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. “Not only this crisis, India has seen several crisis. 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.
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At a separate inter-ministerial press briefing on Monday, Aparna S Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, said the current situation had affected one of India’s most important supply regions. “The current situation is quite important and vulnerable for us, and we have handled it very strategically,” Sharma said.
She said the Gulf region is a key source for India, supplying about 20 to 30 percent of urea imports, 30 percent of DAP imports and nearly 50 percent of LNG imports. She added that key feedstocks such as ammonia, sulfur and sulfuric acid are also important for domestic production.
“In the current situation, the global fertilizer market has seen quite a lot of fluctuations in prices. Our freight and related costs have also gone up,” she said.
Sharma said domestic urea production was hit after a recent notification from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which gave the fertilizer sector priority number two. “Because of this, our domestic urea production took a hit, and initially, our production dropped by about 30 to 35 thousand tonnes per day,” she said.
Sharma said the total requirement for the upcoming Kharif season is 39 million tonnes, against actual Kharif sales of 36.1 million tonnes last year. “Right now, we have adequate stock available compared to last year. Our total stock as of now is 18 million tonnes, whereas last year it was 14.7 million tonnes. This shows that our stocks are in a pretty good condition,” she said.
The government statement issued on Monday said total stock stands at around 180 lakh tonnes, compared to 147 lakh tonnes last year. The breakup includes 61.96 lakh tonnes of urea, 23.38 lakh tonnes of DAP, 56.67 lakh tonnes of NPK complexes, 25.25 lakh tonnes of SSP and 12.70 lakh tonnes of muriate of potash.
The statement said April and May are lean agricultural months and are being used to build stock ahead of the Kharif season.
Sharma said gas supply to urea plants, which had fallen to 60 percent, had improved to 65 percent and then to 80 percent through alternative arrangements. “Through the empowered pool management committee, we floated tenders on a spot basis, and as a result, our production has improved to around 80 percent across all urea units,” she said.
She added that plants which had gone into annual shutdown are now back in start-up mode and receiving gas supply again. The government statement said this had increased urea production by 12,000 to 15,000 tonnes per day, cutting the monthly production loss from 9–10 lakh tonnes to around 6–7 lakh tonnes.
The government also said domestic production in March stood at around 18 lakh tonnes for urea and 9–10 lakh tonnes for P&K fertilizers, compared with 24.78 lakh tonnes and 11.90 lakh tonnes respectively in March 2025.
Sharma said the Department of Fertilizers has instructed Indian Oil refineries to supply adequate sulfur to fertilizer companies, and that the government is working to stabilise supplies of all raw materials, including rock phosphate.
Sharma said the department has set up a task group to track global availability and identify alternative supply sources. “We’re getting regular updates about global availability and potential supply sources for fertilizers, including urea. We’re in close contact with our major suppliers of urea and DAP,” she said.
The government statement said a global tender for import of 13.07 lakh tonnes of urea had already been floated in mid-February. It added that supply arrangements include around 28 lakh tonnes from Russia via the Cape of Good Hope route.
It also said long-term arrangements have been made for DAP supply from Saudi Arabia, with 31.10 lakh tonnes annually for five years. Additional supplies include 10 lakh tonnes of urea annually from OMIFCO in Oman and 7 lakh tonnes from SABIC in Saudi Arabia up to October 2026.
Sharma said sourcing is being diversified across Russia, Morocco, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Canada, Algeria, Egypt, Finland and Togo, and that Indian missions abroad are helping identify alternative sources. The statement said 16 Indian missions are coordinating on this effort.
Sharma said the government has sensitised states to prevent panic buying and diversion. “Regarding the availability of fertilizer, we have enough stocks,” she said. “The honorable Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers has already talked to the major agrarian states about this. They have been made aware of the issue.”
She said the department is keeping a close watch on diversion, black marketing and hoarding, with action being taken under the Essential Commodities Act in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and state agriculture departments.
The government statement said chief secretaries and agriculture secretaries have also been sensitised, and that states are being encouraged to adopt innovative measures to improve distribution efficiency.
Sharma said the government is also promoting the use of alternative fertilisers such as ammonium sulfate, triple super phosphate, single super phosphate, fermented organic manure and nano products. She said fertilisers remain available at regulated prices: Rs 266 for a 45 kg bag of urea and Rs 1,350 for a 50 kg bag of DAP.
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A contingency control room has also been set up, she said, to monitor availability, production, imports and movement continuously.
The government statement said there is “no need of any panic” and added that the department is working round the clock with producers, importers, port authorities, Indian Railways and state governments to ensure adequate supply in the field.