Govt assures ample fertiliser stocks for kharif season

Farmers urged against hoarding as Centre maintains stable supplies, imports and pricing amid global uncertainty

Commodity Desk MUMBAI

The Centre on Monday assured farmers that fertiliser stocks remain sufficient for the upcoming Kharif sowing season and urged them not to indulge in panic buying despite global supply concerns linked to developments in West Asia.

Speaking during an inter-ministerial briefing, Department of Fertilizers Additional Secretary Aparna S Sharma said India’s fertiliser security remains “comfortable and well managed,” with stock availability significantly above normal levels. According to the government, fertiliser stocks for the Kharif 2026 season currently stand at over 51% of assessed demand, compared to the usual benchmark of 33%. 

The Department of Agriculture has estimated total fertiliser requirement for the upcoming kharif season at 390.54 lakh tonnes. 

Sharma said domestic production and imports are progressing normally to ensure uninterrupted supplies during the peak sowing period, expected to begin within the next 15-20 days.  The official informed that after the recent crisis phase, India added nearly 97 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers to domestic availability, including 76.78 lakh tonnes through local production and 19.94 lakh tonnes through imports. To strengthen supplies further, the government has secured 7 lakh tonnes of NPK complexes, 12 lakh tonnes of DAP, 4 lakh tonnes of triple super phosphate and 3 lakh tonnes of ammonium sulphate from global sources. 

Sharma said urea plants across the country are operating at full capacity, while production of phosphatic and potassic fertilisers is also continuing as scheduled. She added that the Centre is closely monitoring ammonia and sulphur availability to prevent disruptions.  The government maintained that prices of major fertilisers remain stable. 

The maximum retail price of neem-coated urea continues at Rs 242 per 45-kg bag, while DAP is priced at Rs 1,350 per 50-kg bag. Officials acknowledged that there was some initial panic buying in parts of the country, prompting states to intensify checks against hoarding, diversion and black marketing of fertilisers.