India has produced 24.23 lt of fertilizers —13.55 lt of urea, 7.62 lt DAP/NPK and 3.06 lt SSP, during March 1-24
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PTI
India’s Kharif fertilizer supply faces a reality check as the US-Israel-Iran war enters its fourth week. Despite official assurances, a shortage of natural gas and logistics bottlenecks are hitting urea production. With shipping routes diverted and no ceasefire on the horizon, the government’s ‘adequate stock’ claim is being tested by the reality of a global energy and supply chain rupture.
Fertilizer Minister J P Nadda on Friday told Parliament that India has adequate reserves to provide fertilizers to farmers and there is no need to panic.
“I want to assure the citizens of the country that the government has taken steps to ensure fertilizer is available to farmers whenever required. We have sufficient reserves in place. There is no need to panic,” Nadda said.
As on March 23, India has 53.08 lakh tonnes (lt) of urea stock, 21.80 lt of di ammonium phosphate (DAP), 7.98 lt of muriate of potash (MOP) and 48.38 lt of complex (in combination of N, P, K, S nutrients). The fertilizer industry is keenly watching how the stock position will be this year amid threat to domestic production. The stock position as on April 1, 2025 was 55.96 lt of urea, 9.15 lt DAP, 8.83 lt MOP and 34.04 lt complex fertilizer.
In the last kharif season, the requirement of urea was estimated at 185.4 lt whereas the sales rose by 4 per cent to 193.2 lt. The demand for different fertilizers during kharif 2026 is yet to be estimated.
India’s production
The government also said India has produced 24.23 lt of fertilizers — 13.55 lt of urea, 7.62 lt DAP/NPK and 3.06 lt SSP, during March 1-24, notwithstanding the gas supply crunch amid the West Asia crisis. To further augment supplies to the urea plants, an additional 7.31 MMSCMD of natural gas has been procured through bidding process for March 18-31, that is expected to increase gas availability to 80 per cent of their past six-month average consumption, from current 65 per cent supply.
According to Anand Chandra, co-founder and executive director of Arya.ag, when fertilizer prices move globally, the first real impact is felt at the farmgate. For smallholders, even a 10–15 per cent increase in input costs can influence cropping decisions and directly affect income outcomes, he said adding this often translates into tighter input usage, changes in crop planning, and increased pressure on working capital during the season.
Government officials said since key fertilizers’ retail prices are capped in India, there may not be an impact, provided States able to check black marketing when supplies are strained. However, there are a number of non-subsidised fertilizers used by progressive farmers, mainly into commercial cultivation, and those can be affected from global price rise, the officials said adding any increase in diesel or power costs, if happened, for farmers will be an additional burden. The government has not yet raised the prices of diesel and petrol.
Chandra also said in the current environment, any increase in crude prices or supply shortfalls is likely to raise transportation costs, which then flows through the agri value chain. “This can soften demand in certain commodities or delay price transmission, further tightening realisations for farmers, “ he said adding higher input costs and uncertain demand conditions can significantly strain farmer incomes in a single season.
He suggested access to storage, timely finance, and reliable market linkages should be focussed in helping farmers manage this volatility and make more informed selling decisions.
Published on March 27, 2026
