With LNG supplies secured after disruption caused by the West Asia crisis in March, the government has set a domestic production target of 3.4 million tonne (MT) of fertilisers in May, a fertiliser ministry official said on Monday.
In the current month, 2.2 MT of urea, 0.4 MT of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 0.8 MT in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) or NPKs are likely to be produced as “some urea plants that had temporarily shut down are set to resume operations,” the official said.
Recovery from Disruptions
“A global tender for urea imports (2.5 MT) has been processed, with supplies expected in May-June. A separate global tender for 1.9 MT of NPK fertilisers has also been floated to meet peak demand,” Aparna Sharma, additional secretary, department of fertilizers said in a briefing.
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Following improved LNG supplies last month, the country’s urea production in April reached 2.09 million tonnes (MT) compared to 2.18 MT produced in April 2025. The urea output dipped to 1.65 MT in March due to the cut in LNG supply caused by the West Asia conflict, the official said.
Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, 8.4 MT of fertilizer variants – urea, DAP, NPKs and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) – have been added to the stock through domestic production (6.77 MT) and imports (1.63 MT), the ministry official said. “The fertiliser availability remains robust, and supplies continue to exceed the requirement,” the official said.
Strategic Stocking
The department of agriculture has assessed the fertiliser requirement for kharif 2026 at 39.05 MT. Against this, states have already stocked 19.57 MT or nearly 50% of the requirement — reflecting what officials described as ‘improved planning and advanced stocking’.
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Officials earlier stated that despite high global prices, retail prices of fertiliser remain unchanged. Urea continues to be sold at Rs 266.50 per 45 kg bag against global prices exceeding Rs 4,000 a bag. Despite global price fluctuations, retail DAP prices are maintained at Rs 1,350 per 50 kg bag for farmers, an official said.
On the possibility of an increase in fertiliser subsidies against the budget estimate of Rs 1.77 lakh crore for FY27, Sharma said, “We know that the costs have risen. The cost of both urea and other fertilisers is showing an upward trend… There will surely be an increase, but as of now, I cannot say.”
TOPICSLNGThis article was first uploaded on May four, twenty twenty-six, at sixteen minutes past nine in the night.