NEW DELHI: India is heading into the Kharif sowing season under mounting fertiliser pressure after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since February 2026 severely disrupted global supply chains for urea, DAP, ammonia, sulphur and LNG, key inputs for domestic fertiliser production.
The disruption has sharply pushed up import costs, with urea prices nearly doubling from about $510 per tonne in early 2026 to around $950 per tonne by April.
Domestic production has also weakened, falling to around 1.5 million tonnes per month as LNG shortages constrained fertiliser plants.
Against a Kharif requirement of 19.4 million tonnes of urea, current stocks stand at 76.65 lakh metric tonnes (LMT). Total fertiliser stocks across categories are 199.65 LMT, higher than 178.58 LMT in May 2025, but still insufficient against projected demand, government data showed.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has assessed the total Kharif fertiliser requirement at 390.54 LMT, meaning existing stocks currently cover only about 51 per cent of demand. India’s fertiliser dependency remains structurally high. The country consumes about 70.7 million metric tonnes annually, importing 20 per cent of urea, 50 per cent of DAP and 100 per cent of muriate of potash (MOP).
Compounding this, nearly 85 per cent of the natural gas used for urea production is imported, and around 60 per cent of that supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz, raising the sector’s effective import exposure to nearly 68–70 per cent.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday chaired the fifth meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) on West Asia, stressing the need to ensure uninterrupted energy flows, secure maritime trade routes and maintain economic stability. He also called for institutionalising fuel efficiency and responsible consumption across ministries and states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also urged farmers to reduce chemical fertiliser use by 50 per cent and shift towards natural farming, alongside greater adoption of solar-powered irrigation instead of diesel pumps, though the appeal remains advisory.
On the policy front, the government has initiated emergency urea imports of 2.5 million tonnes through Indian Potash Limited. However, buffer stocks of 30–45 days are seen as inadequate for a disruption that has now stretched beyond 70 days.