Fertiliser Subsidy

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

Agriculture Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra said that in Haryana, an experiment was conducted to connect land, fertiliser usage and crops grown using Agristack, and it showed remarkable results

From India's role in a changing global order to fertiliser reform, export ambitions and the EV supply chain, today's Best of BS Opinion brings together key editorials and columns.

Linking urea sales to digital farmer IDs could curb leakages and fiscal waste-but only a phased, inclusive rollout can protect farmers and revive soil health

Move could be another attempt to rein in burgeoning fertiliser subsidy

The Fertiliser Association of India has suggested rationalisation of customs duties on key raw materials, incentives for downstream projects, and bringing urea under the nutrient-based subsidy framework in Union Budget 2026-27. The FAI has demanded exemption or reduction of basic customs duty on inputs such as ammonia, phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, rock phosphate and sulphur. It has also sought relief from Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess, and resolution of issues arising from inverted GST duty structures leading to accumulation of unutilised input tax credit. On the direct tax front, the industry has recommended restoration of weighted deductions for R&D and farmer education, incentives for downstream fertiliser projects, accelerated depreciation for energy-efficient equipment, and easing of compliance and litigation burdens. The FAI has emphasised the need to promote balanced fertilisation to protect soil health, noting that disparities between urea and P&K

FAI chief S Sankarasubramanian says buying fertiliser assets abroad could keep value capture outside India; FY27 subsidy requirement may be lower as global prices are softening

Expressing concern over fertiliser overuse, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that reducing fertiliser subsidies remains "politically unviable" while highlighting how Green Revolution architect Prof M S Swaminathan prioritised natural resource protection. Speaking at the launch of Priyambada Jayakumar's book on Swaminathan, Tharoor emphasised the late agricultural scientist's holistic vision. "His whole concept of economic growth was that it wouldn't simply trickle down but rise up from the soil. The Green Revolution wasn't just about higher-yielding wheat varieties but generating employment, enhancing livelihoods, and empowering the rural poor," he said. Drawing from his parliamentary experience, Tharoor noted the political challenges. "I briefly chaired the committee on chemicals and fertilisers. It was packed with people simply not prepared to contemplate any subsidy reduction... Politically, it won't be viable," he observed. However, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

All you need to know about government subsidies and what to expect in the upcoming Union Budget 2025, scheduled to be tabled on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman