Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 15: Amid concerns over supply disruptions due to the ongoing Middle East crisis, the Union government on Saturday said fertiliser availability in the country remains stable, assuring that stocks of urea and other key crop nutrients are “more than adequate”.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial media briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said India currently has sufficient fertiliser reserves, particularly as preparations begin for the upcoming Kharif season.
“What I can tell you is that India has more than adequate stocks of fertilisers at this point of time, especially for the upcoming Kharif season,” he said.
Jaiswal noted that the country’s urea reserves are currently higher than the levels recorded at the same time last year. “Our stocks of urea are more than what they were at this point last year,” he said.
He also said that reserves of DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) are now double the levels seen in 2025, while stocks of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertilisers are significantly higher compared with last year.
Urging commentators to rely on verified information, he said speculation about shortages should be avoided.
“Observers and commentators would do well to look at the factual situation and not induce panic through uninformed speculation,” he said.
DAP is the most widely used phosphorus fertiliser, while NPK fertilisers are suitable for all stages of plant growth.
Jaiswal added that domestic production of urea is expected to exceed nominal consumption levels, particularly as the Rabi season is nearing its end.
“In so far as our domestic production of urea is concerned, our current production will be more than our nominal consumption, especially since the Rabi season is coming to an end,” he said.
He also said the government had advanced annual maintenance schedules at certain fertiliser plants to maximise output.
“In addition, we had taken care to advance the scheduled annual maintenance of some of our plants, which means that we are able to maximise production with available gas,” he said.
According to him, the Department of Fertilisers has already issued global tenders in anticipation of possible disruptions caused by the geopolitical situation.
“These have received a very good response and we expect to receive the bulk of the quantities ordered from a variety of sources by the end of March. The department has also decided to procure spot gas on a competitive basis and the first phase purchase will be by Tuesday,” he said.
Jaiswal added that India’s international partners have assured New Delhi that fertiliser shipments will continue without interruption.
“All our partners have assured us of uninterrupted supplies and we hope to attain and maintain comfortable fertiliser stocks by the time Kharif demand peaks by May 15,” he said, adding that authorities are closely monitoring both domestic and global trends to ensure adequate availability.