Fertiliser Subsidy

The move is projected to save the exchequer more than ₹10,500 crore annually in subsidies, based on conservative estimates and assuming an average imported urea price of $345 per tonne

Balanced nutrient use, biofertilisers, and improved soil health can help India cut fertiliser imports and make agriculture more sustainable without hurting crop production

Krishna Kant Pathak, joint secretary in the Department of Fertilisers said that to solve the problem, India should now start looking at solutions

If the actual subsidy numbers come close to the current estimates, this would mean that India's FY27 fertiliser subsidy could be among the highest in recent years

The government's fertiliser subsidy bill for 2026-27 may surge by Rs 70,000 crore to Rs 2.41 lakh crore, driven by rising import costs of urea and other fertilisers amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, a senior official said on Monday. Aparna S Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilisers, on the sidelines of inter-ministerial briefing on West Asia developments, said, "The subsidy bill will go up, but what percentage is something I cannot say." On whether the increase could be as much as Rs 70,000 crore, she said, "may be." The budgetary allocation for fertiliser subsidies in 2026-27 stands at Rs 1.71 lakh crore. Despite the cost pressures, Sharma said fertiliser availability for the 2026 kharif season remains "comfortable", with stocks exceeding 51 per cent of the total requirement of 390 lakh tonne, the gap being bridged through diversified import sourcing. Current fertiliser stocks stand at 200.9 lakh tonne, she said. Domestic production is running at approximately 80

Traders said a beginning in this regards were made last week when IPL issued a tender to import 1.6 million tonnes of DAP and TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) on behalf of the industry

The jump in subsidies is expected as the country plans to import 6.4 million tonnes of urea and 1.9 million tonnes of other fertilisers this kharif season at high prices

Rising import costs are likely to increase India's fertiliser subsidies to companies for selling crop nutrients to farmers below market prices

From the setback to the women's quota Bill and rising fertiliser subsidies to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, here is a curated selection of Business Standard's top Opinion pieces today

Rising fertiliser subsidy exposes distortions in urea pricing, fuelling overuse and fiscal strain, highlighting need for direct farmer support and subsidy reform

India's fertiliser subsidy has exceeded FY26 Revised Estimates, prompting experts to call for policy reforms, including rational pricing, curbs on overuse, and bringing urea under the NBS regime

India's fertiliser subsidy breached FY26 estimates before the West Asia crisis, with rising imports and consumption set to push the bill higher

Government raises non-urea fertiliser subsidy by up to 21 per cent for kharif 2026 to shield farmers from rising global prices and supply disruptions linked to West Asia tensions

Economist Ashok Gulati of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier) said government spending on agriculture R&D is "not even peanuts" by global standards

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

A prolonged West Asia conflict could strain India's fiscal position through higher fertiliser subsidies, rising import costs and weaker revenue growth

Shivraj Singh Chouhan says it would give them the freedom to choose which fertilisers to buy and in what quantities

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday pitched for transferring the central government's Rs 1.7 lakh crore annual fertiliser subsidy to farmers' bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), saying it would give them the freedom to choose which fertilisers to buy and in what quantities. Addressing the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) campus here, Chouhan said a bag of urea that actually costs Rs 2,400 reaches farmers at just Rs 265-270 because of the subsidy the central government absorbs. "If such a large subsidy is transferred directly to farmers' accounts through DBT, farmers will be able to decide which fertilisers to purchase and in what quantities. This system will ensure that the actual beneficiary of the subsidy is the farmer who applies the fertiliser to the fields," he said. Currently, fertiliser subsidies in India are primarily transferred to companies rather than directly to farmers. Though the ...

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls for a national debate on direct benefit transfer in fertilisers to curb diversion and ensure subsidies reach farmers

VB G RAM G gets Rs 95,692 crore in Fy-27; MGNREGA Rs 30,000 to clear pending dues and smoothen transition