The Centre is not in a hurry to link fertiliser sales with actual requirement though it has claimed significant reduction in sales in a pilot project currently undergoing in Haryana. States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are keen to start similar (to Haryana) or even better model to cut unnecessary use of chemical fertilisers.

The Department of Fertilisers has recently informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee that the pilot is at an early stage and may be independently evaluated before considering expansion to other States. However, many experts have suggested national roll out of the pilot amid the current supply disruption after Iran war.

Under the pilot in last Rabi sowing season in Haryana, Urea consumption declined by 1,25,986 tonne and DAP consumption by 23,489 tonne between October 8, 2025 and February 18, 2026, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, resulting in an estimated subsidy saving of ₹700.53 crore, officials said.

“The reduction suggests that earlier purchases may have exceeded crop area requirements, with possible diversion or bulk concentration among high-volume buyers, which the crop-linked digital authentication mechanism has helped curb,” the government informed the panel.

Sale of subsidised fertilisers is presently carried out on a “no-denial” basis across the country, except Haryana, where it is linked to beneficiaries registered on the state government’s Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal. Under this pilot project, the Centre has linked the PoS-based sales of fertilisers with the database of the MFMB portal.

Under this system, a registered farmer, family member or cultivator can purchase subsidised fertilisers through PoS devices at retail outlets. The identity of the designated farmer (landowner) is authenticated through biometric verification in case of direct purchase, or through SMS-based OTP verification when the purchase is made by a family member or cultivator.

The pilot was conducted in three phases – first, the open sale with passive matching for observation, secondly, open sale with active matching for observation, and third, enforcement of buyer restriction along with risk management measures.

The average quantity purchased per buyer declined by about 11.6 per cent for Urea (from 1.33 tonne to 1.18 tonne) and by 18.7 per cent for Phosphate (P) and Potash (K) fertilisers (from 0.75 tonne to 0.61 tonne). It demonstrated the system’s effectiveness in curbing bulk procurement and ensuring more equitable access to subsidised fertilisers among farmers, officials said.

The Haryana experience also showed that there has been a significant increase in small-scale buyers purchasing less than 10 bags — almost 50 per cent — while buyers purchasing 10 to 20 bags account for 37.8 per cent. Conversely, there has been a decline in larger purchases, with a 35 per cent reduction in the 40 to 50 bag category and a 10.5 per cent decrease in the 30 to 40 bag segment. Overall, Urea consumption has decreased by 10.9 per cent, and DAP by 24.9 per cent. The total number of urea buyers has reduced by 2.3 per cent, and P and K buyers by 8 per cent.

Published on March 14, 2026

MUMBAI, 12/03/2026: A crude oil tanker ‘Shenlong’ that passed through the Strait of Hormuz has arrived at Mumbai Port, becoming one of the first vessels to reach India via the critical route amid escalating tensions in the Middle East in Mumbai
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI

Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas are heading to India after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, providing some relief to acute shortages as the war in the Persian Gulf disrupts supply of the cooking fuel.

The ships were granted safe transit through the strait — which has been all but closed for nearly two weeks — after a deal between New Delhi and Tehran, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. They did not provide details.

The tankers — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — were chartered by state-run Indian Oil Corp. and should arrive in India next week, the people said. The vessels are owned by state-run Shipping Corp of India Ltd.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. An Iranian official familiar with the matter, who also declined to be named as he’s not authorized to speak to the media, said he could not confirm an agreement. Indian Oil did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. 

Both ships have signaled through their AIS systems, used by ships to transmit their whereabouts, that they’re Indian government vessels. Ship-tracking data shows that the Shivalik has already sailed through the strait.

The Nanda Devi appears to be in transit, although electronic interference around the waterway complicates accurate monitoring of location. Both loaded from Ras Laffan in Qatar.

India has been suffering acute shortage of LPG, used for cooking and industrial processes and in petrochemical units to make plastics. The country is the second-largest importer of of the fuel, and takes 90% of it from the Middle East.

India, which also takes a large proportion of its crude from the Persian Gulf, has been in talks with Iran to secure the passage of tankers through the strait. 

A number of LPG vessels are now lined up to make the crossing, the people said. 

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Published on March 14, 2026

Maithan Alloys Limited said it has acquired 12,98,500 equity shares of Bank of India (BoI) on March 13, 2026, for ₹19.82 crore through the stock exchange.

This acquisition is as part of the company’s investment in the public sector bank is with view to reap the long-term/short-term investment benefits, Maithan Alloys said in a regulatory filing.

The company, which manufactures and exportes value-added manganese alloys and now has 0.03% of shareholding in BoI, said it does not intend to acquire control whether directly or indirectly of the management of the Target Entity.

Maithan Alloys equity shares on Friday (March 13, 2026) closed at ₹926.30 apiece, down 1.48 per cent over the previous close on BSE. BoI equity shares closed at ₹150.05 apiece, down 3.04% over the previous close on BSE.

Published on March 14, 2026