Urea

A sliding rupee could make both fertiliser imports and domestic production costlier, pushing the subsidy bill higher as urea and DAP prices remain fixed for farmers

India is preparing for higher fertiliser prices ahead of the crucial rabi (winter) crop season after China suspended exports of urea and specialty fertilisers from October 15, a senior industry official said on Tuesday. China, which had only recently resumed fertiliser exports from May 15 to October 15 with increased inspections, has now suspended the export window until further notice, affecting not just India but global markets as well. The suspension covers specialty fertilisers like TMAP (Technical Monoammonium Phosphate) and Urea-solution products like AdBlue, as well as conventional fertilisers such as DAP and urea. "China has closed the export window from October 15 not only for India but the entire world market," Soluble Fertilizer Industry Association (SFIA) President Rajib Chakraborty told PTI. "I believe the export suspension will be for the next 5-6 months," he said. India imports about 95 per cent of its specialty fertilisers, including phosphates like TMAP and ...

Despite images of farmers standing in line for urea, data shows that supplies to most states were more than both their requests and sales; shortages grew out of sudden demand due to increase in sowing

The state government has said it is addressing supply chain issues and promoting alternative fertilisers, due to the shortfall of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea

Above-normal monsoon this year has seen surge in kharif planting, driving up fertiliser demand, but heavy rains in northern states have also ruined standing crops, while floods have killed hundreds

India is the second-largest consumer of fertilisers in the world, but lacks the natural resources to manufacture them

While Iffco has seen an increase in the sale of both nano urea and nano DAP, some industry players say that despite its intrinsic benefits, nano has still not caught the imagination of some farmers

The special incentive as well as the increase in NBS rates has also meant that DAP is now the second fertiliser, the other being urea, fpr which the Centre is keeping its prices artificially low

The plant will be established with an estimated total project cost of Rs 10,601.40 crore with debt-equity ratio of 70:30 through a Joint Venture

The Centre on Friday asserted that there was no shortage of urea in the country and urged state governments to actively intervene and crack down on those creating unnecessary scarcity to profit by influencing the markets. Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister JP Nadda rejected the claim of urea shortage in Uttar Pradesh's Dhaurahra made by Samajwadi Party member Anand Bhadauriya. "I wish to tell the House, there was never a shortage of urea. Shortages are created by some who are keen to influence the markets," Nadda said. The rakes of urea reach their intended destinations on the appointed dates and details in this regard are available with the ministry, he said. He added, "Some people try to make profits by creating scarcity unnecessarily. State governments should intervene actively and members of Parliament should also step in." Supply of fertilisers is planned in consultation with the Union agriculture ministry, Nadda said. The minister said, "A date-wise and week-wise stra

The country's nano urea requirement for the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season is estimated at 2.36 crore bottles of 500 ml each, with Uttar Pradesh leading the demand, government data shows. The maximum requirement is from Uttar Pradesh at 43.38 lakh bottles, followed by Maharashtra (34.7 lakh bottles) and Punjab (20.82 lakh bottles). Haryana and Karnataka are estimated to require 17.35 lakh bottles each, while Rajasthan needs 15.01 lakh bottles and Madhya Pradesh 12.54 lakh bottles for this season. However, no requirement has been reported from Gujarat, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, and Andaman & Nicobar. The country currently has six operational nano urea plants with a combined annual capacity of 27.22 crore bottles. Three plants were commissioned in 2024 -- Meghmani Crop Nutrition's plant with a capacity of 5 crore bottles, Zuari Farm Hub and Coromandel International Ltd facilities with capacities of ...

The catalyst for this rally in fertiliser shares was the anticipated increase in the price of Di-Ammonia Phosphate (DAP), the second most widely used fertiliser in India after urea

India imported 18.65 lakh tonne urea and 22.58 lakh tonne phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers from China during 2023-24, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said, "Government of India through Department of Fertilizers imports urea (agriculture purpose) on government account to bridge the gap between production and assessed demand." As per the data, the country imported 70.42 lakh tonne urea in 2023-24 for USD 2.6 billion. Of this, India imported 18.65 lakh tonne urea from China valuing USD 730 million. "So far as P&K fertilizers are concerned, these grades of fertilizers are covered under Open General Licence (OGL) under the Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS). They are imported by the companies on their commercially viable terms," Patel said. The value of imported P&K fertilizers is not maintained in the department. India imported a total of 106.53 lakh

India's conventional urea consumption is estimated to decline 25 lakh tonnes this fiscal on increase in demand of nano liquid urea and the government's efforts to discourage use of chemical fertilisers, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday. Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also highlighted that the Cabinet on Thursday approved a Rs 24,420 crore subsidy on Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the kharif season. The prices of all fertilisers, including urea and Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), will not increase, he said. "The Modi government has made a lot of efforts to promote alternate fertilisers and discourage use of chemical fertilisers. The use of nano liquid urea is also gaining momentum," Mandaviya said. As a result, the minister said, "The consumption of urea in 2023-24 is estimated to decline by 25 lakh tonnes." Mandaviya said the urea consumption stood at 357 lakh tonnes during FY23. "During April-January period of this fiscal, the ...

Farmers will have to be educated and factories will require capital expenditure

Some in the industry fear a return of controls while others see positives in a govt circular, but the bigger issue is the skewed pricing in favour of urea

Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday made it clear that neem-coated urea is currently sold at Rs 266.5 per 45 kg bag and the same rates will continue, while hitting back at Samajwadi Party (SP) National President Akhilesh Yadav for misleading farmers over the issue. Responding to Samajwadi Party President's January 7th post on X, Mandaviya wrote on the social media platform, "First of all, I want to make it clear to you that neem-coated urea was available at Rs 266.5 per 45 kg bag, is available now, and will continue to be available." The research has led to development of new sulfur-coated 'Urea Gold' in the interest of farmers, he said and added that its new quantity and price have been decided. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the SP leader had raised questions on the vaccine made in the country. The entire country and scientists have not been able to forget, he wrote on X. "Today again you have made fun of the same scientists. I hope that you will not mislead the

India's urea production has increased to 284.95 lakh tonnes last fiscal from 225.08 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, the government informed Lok Sabha on Friday. In written replies, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said the central government ensures adequate availability of urea to meet the requirements of states/Union Territories. To increase the availability of urea through indigenous sources, the Centre announced New Investment Policy (NIP) - 2012 to facilitate fresh investment in the urea sector and to make India self sufficient in the sector. "A total of 6 new urea units have been set up under NIP - 2012, which together have added 76.2 lakh tonnes per annum in the existing indigenous urea production capacity of the country. "In addition, Government of India also introduced the New Urea Policy (NUP)-2015 on 25th May, 2015 with one of the objectives of maximising indigenous urea production. As a result, the indigenous production of the country increased f

The nano urea and nano DAP introduced by IFFCO will help farmers adopt natural farming without compromising on production, Union cooperation minister Amit Shah has said. He was speaking after inaugurating a nano DAP (diammonium phosphate liquid ) manufacturing plant at the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited's (IFFCO) unit at Kalol in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district on Tuesday. It is the world's first such plant, IFFCO said in a statement. When a list of the biggest experiments in the field of agriculture will be prepared ten years from now, I can say with certainty that IFFCO's nano urea and nano DAP will find a place in it," he said. The need of the hour was to reduce the use of urea and move towards natural farming, the Union minister added. If you want to move towards natural farming without reducing the production for three years (period needed to prepare the soil for such farming), then use nano urea and nano DAP, Shah said. Nano urea does not percolate into the gro

As the world's largest producer of urea, China accounts for about a third of global supplies of the nitrogen-based fertiliser, which is critical to growing crops