Despite West Asia Crisis, India Has Adequate Fertiliser Stock

New Delhi: The government on Monday said that the overall stock position of fertilisers in the country is comfortable and there is no challenge in availability despite the West Asia crisis. “The farmers have bought 11.17 lakh tonnes of organic manure in the ongoing kharif sowing season, a 3.5 times jump from the year-ago period, indicating a gradual shift from chemical fertilisers,” it said.

“We are also monitoring the situation on a regular basis to ensure adequate domestic supply. For kharif 2026, the fertiliser requirement has been reassessed by the department of agriculture at 383.9 lakh tonnes and against this, the stock as on today is 197.56 lakh tonnes,” said Aparna S Sharma, additional secretary in the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers at an inter-ministerial briefing.

Sharma said that the stock is more than 51 per cent of the kharif season demand and this is significantly higher than the usual level of 33 per cent. “The purchase of fertiliser has been about 86.65 lakh tonnes for the ongoing kharif, that is approximately 22.57 per cent of the total requirement,” she added.

The secretary also said the farmers have procured 11.17 lakh tonnes of organic manure in the season, compared to 3.2 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period last year. “This substantial increase reflects a positive trend towards greater adoption of the organic nutrient sources and a gradual shift in the farmers' preference from chemical fertiliser to the organic alternatives,” Sharma said.

She also asserted that there is no major challenge in availability of fertilisers currently. “The domestic production and import continues, and a total of 147.4 lakh tonnes have been imported as well as domestically manufactured after the crisis situation. In June, more than 25 lakh tonnes of imported urea, DAP, and PKS have arrived at the ports, and a tender of 17 lakh tonnes of urea is under progress,” she said.