Agriculture

West Asia conflict may raise pesticide costs by up to 25%, risking shortages during peak season and impacting farm yields in India

Chairing a comprehensive review of the country's agricultural situation, Chouhan said the adverse weather had hit several states at a time when crops were ripe and ready for harvest

Warns against needless speculation

With this additional procurement, the total gas availability at fertiliser plants has risen to approximately 40 MMSCMD, a jump of around 23 per cent over the earlier supply level

The Middle East accounts for roughly half of India's DAP and urea imports, with Saudi Arabia the largest DAP supplier and Oman the biggest urea supplier

Approval of nano NPK products aims to cut reliance on conventional fertilisers and ease supply pressures amid gas shortages linked to West Asia conflict

The 52 MMSCMD LNG requirement is based on the average natural gas consumption by urea making units in the last six months (September 2025-February 2026)

With the West Asia war showing no sign of an early end, the government has started working on alternative plans to keep fertiliser units running once they resume operations

An official statement today announced that the increased rates will apply starting with the forthcoming Rabi marketing season of 2026-27

The government had earlier permitted exports of 1.5 million tonnes for the season, and in February allocated an extra 500,000 tonnes to willing mills on a non-swappable basis

The industry body said ethanol-based cooking solutions could complement existing LPG usage, particularly when India's growing cooking fuel demand relies heavily on imports

Centre recently launched pilots in few districts including in Gujarat

RAJFED to begin MSP procurement of mustard and gram from late March as Rajasthan gears up for the rabi marketing season

Though some reports claim that authorities have started exploring alternative routes to quickly ship farm goods bound for West Asia, if the crisis continues, the losses could be substantial

India also imports phosphatic fertilisers, including Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and NPK compounds

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi's partners have also assured it of uninterrupted fertiliser supplies

With over 68.6% of India's fertiliser value chain dependent on imports, geopolitical tensions pose rising risks to supply security, underscoring the need for urgent sector reforms, ICRIER paper said

Overall, urea imports from other countries were at 56.47 lakh tonne achieved in 2024-25

Asia and Africa together account for over 40 per cent of global agricultural production and bilateral agri-trade already exceeds $90 billion annually

The decision to extend the scheme to mustard was taken at a meeting in Delhi today between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan