Centre assures ample fertiliser stocks at onset of kharif season; rates steady

The central government said on Monday that adequate quantities of fertiliser stockpiles are available in the country, with supplies exceeding demand. According to an official statement, kharif season 2026 demand was pegged at 390.54 LMT and the current stock was recorded at around 190 LMT, well above normal levels. That was 33 per cent above the normal levels recorded at this time of the year. The official update on fertiliser inventories comes at a time when authorities have ensured adequate supplies of fertilisers despite disruptions from the ongoing West Asia crisis, and days after national weather forecaster has projected above-average precipitation for the coming monsoon season.

Farmers in the country rely heavily on monsoon rainfall for kharif season crop irrigation.

Official data showed stronger stock positions across key categories like urea, DAP and NPK this year (April 1-26), with the total availability of fertilisers recorded at 190.21 LMT versus 169.24 LMT a year ago.

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Urea price update

The price of urea -- a key nitrogenous fertiliser used during the season -- was at Rs 266.5 per bag (45 kg), which translates to a sharp discount compared to the global benchmark above the Rs 4,000 mark. The Centre continues to provide a subsidy aimed at shielding growers from global market volatility.

Meanwhile, DAP was available at Rs 1,350 per bag and TSP at Rs 1,300 per bag.

Fertiliser stock position in kharif season 2026 vs last year

Currently, the country's urea stock stood at 71.58 LMT, higher than the 70.67 LMT recorded in the corresponding period a year ago, according to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

At the same time, the DAP stock was recorded at 22.35 LMT while the NPK stock was at 57.56 LMT, as against 15.07 LMT and 44.49 LMT a year ago, respectively.

The SSP stock remained nearly unchanged at 26.26 LMT, as against 26.14 last year, while MOP was at 12.46 LMT, lower than the 12.87 LMT last year.

Supply vs demand (April 1-April 26)

Here's a summary of the supply of key fertilisers in the country:

• Urea: 71.40 LMT available vs 20.54 LMT required
• DAP: 23.09 LMT available vs 6.67 LMT required
• MOP: 8.38 LMT available vs 1.96 LMT required
• NPK: 53.40 LMT available vs 8.43 LMT required
• SSP: 25.78 LMT available vs 3.73 LMT required

The government remains committed to protecting farmers from global price volatility and ensuring affordable fertilisers, making fertilisers accessible to every farmer at affordable rates, according to an official statement.

Robust domestic production and imports

There is a steady increase in domestic production, noted the government, summarising the output across key categories as follows:

• Urea: 35.42 LMT produced, 9.4 LMT imported
• DAP: 4.50 LMT produced, 0.76 LMT imported
• NPK: 12.08 LMT produced, 1.95 LMT imported
• SSP: 7.01 LMT produced domestically, no imports
• MOP: no domestic production, 1.85 LMT imported

In total, 59.01 LMT fertilisers were produced domestically and 13.96 LMT imported since the onset of the crisis.

Authorities have ensured uninterrupted supplies of natural gas for fertiliser plants, with additional LNG and RLNG arranged as needed, noted the statement. Currently, plants have access to 97 per cent LNG/RLNG, with most urea plants operating at optimal levels.

It also noted that issues related to natural gas availability for domestic urea production have been resolved.

There are no major issues in the availability of inputs for urea and P&K fertiliser production, reiterated the government.