CHENNAI: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday informed the Parliament that the licences of as many as 50 fertilizer traders in Tamil Nadu were suspended or cancelled during the 2025-26 Kharif Marketing Season for engaging in malpractices. These included the sale of duplicate and substandard fertilizers, black marketing, hoarding, and diversion of fertilizers for non-agricultural purposes. Around five FIRs were registered against the offenders.
Replying to a question raised by South Chennai MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian in the Lok Sabha regarding an alleged shortage of fertilizers in the state, Nadda said that fertilizers such as urea, DAP, MOP, and NPKS, remained adequate during the 2025-26 kharif season. From October 1, 2025 to February 2026, the state’s requirement of urea was 4.97 MT, while availability stood at 6.06 lakh MT. Similarly, DAP requirement was 1.26 lakh MT, against an available quantity of 1.89 lakh MT. About 5.58 lakh MT of NPKS fertilizer was available as against a demand of 1.38 lakh MT. The requirement of MOP was 1.38 lakh MT, but availability stood at 1.27 lakh MT, of which 0.8 lakh MT had been sold, he said.
Nadda added that 20,727 raids were conducted during the 2025-26 kharif season in TN. These led to the issuance of 165 show-cause notices, the suspension or cancellation of 50 licences, and seizure of over 200 MT of duplicate fertilizers.