UP govt builds 4.8 MT of fertiliser inventory; to cover 84% of demand

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has built a fertiliser inventory of about 4.8 million tonnes, which is nearly 84 per cent of the state’s 5.7 MT of aggregate demand during the kharif-sowing season.

Supplies by the central government agencies in the coming weeks are expected to fill the demand-availability gap.

UP has adequate availability of urea and other fertilisers for the kharif sowing season, said state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi.

“The sowing season has yet not started but we have made adequate provisions for fertilisers so that the farmers do not face any hurdles,” he told Business Standard.

Of the current fertiliser inventory of 4.8 MT, urea tops the tally with 3.8 MT. It is followed by diammonium phosphate (DAP, 683,000 tonnes) and Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (NPK, 365,000 tonnes).

Kharif crops paddy and maize need soil nutrients like DAP and NPK, while urea is used extensively for ‘top dressing’ during their growth.

The UP government has fixed a quota for every district depending upon the sown area and crops. The inventory is replenished concomitant to the sale of fertilisers.

Shahi said primary agricultural credit societies, which are intermediaries in the fertiliser distribution system, have been provided with adequate working capital in advance.

India primarily imports four types of fertilisers: Urea, DAP, muriate of potash (MOP) and NPK. The country subsidises potash to make it affordable for farmers.

India is among the largest importers of potash to feed the domestic sector. The country depends on imports for its annual consumption of nearly 5 MT of potash, of which a third is shipped from Belarus and Russia.

Given the high demand for potash and consequent imports, the Yogi Adityanath government had earlier advised sugar mills in the state to manufacture potash from ash generated by their incinerating boilers to meet domestic demand and save foreign exchange.