Water-soluble fertiliser imports steady despite China export crackdown

Between January and November 2024 and 2025, data show that speciality water soluble fertiliser imports from China dropped by just 8.7 per cent, while overall it rose by 8.8 per cent

China’s crackdown on its export of water-soluble fertilisers (WSFs), which are part of the category of broader speciality fertilisers, was expected to lead to a big drop in import because India’s northern neighbour accounted for more than half the supplies, but the recent data shows that till November there has been no impact owing to the fact that shipment from Norway and Russia has gone up sharply.

 

China has been intermittently imposing curbs on the export of speciality fertilisers to India over the past few years. This became acute from April-May. Fresh curbs came into force in October.

 

The data shows that between January and November India imported close to 196,913 tonnes of WSFs from China. During the corresponding period last year it was 215,606 tonnes.

 

However, import from Norway during the same period rose from 44,394 tonnes to 71,906 tonnes, a rise of almost 62 per cent, while from Russia import jumped 243 per cent from a mere 7,463 tonnes in January-November last year to 25,636 tonnes in January-November this year.

 

The two countries combined to fill the gap left by declining Chinese import, leading to an overall rise in India’s WSF import from 409,144 tonnes in January-November 2024 to 445,286 tonnes in Jan-Nov 2025, an increase of 8.8 per cent.

 

China’s share in imports has dipped from 53 per cent to 44.2 per cent, the data showed. WSFs here include CN (calcium nitrate), MAP (mono-ammonium phosphate), MKP (mono-potassium phosphate), NOP (potassium nitrate), NPK (00-60-20 grade), NPK (12-11-18 grade), NPK (13-40-13 grade), NPK (18-18-18 grade) and SOP (sulphate of potash).

 

Minister of State for Fertilisers Anupriya Patel recently told Parliament that to keep up supplies of WSFs, Indian companies had diversified their imports and were buying from other countries.

 

Speciality fertilisers fall outside the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) scheme, overseen by the Department of Fertilisers, and are thus unsubsidised, and companies are free to import them.

 

“We don’t face any challenge from China’s curbs on water-soluble fertilisers as domestic players have also stepped up production,” a senior official of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) had said a few days ago.

 

In October and November, after the latest crackdown came into effect, India imported around 115,063 tonnes of WSFs, down 13.3 per cent from last year. Of this, China contributed 44,486 tonnes, 33.1 per cent less than in the same period last year.

 

But Norway once again stepped in October and November and contributed 35,442 tonnes, up almost 204 per cent from the same months last year, and Russia sent 6,209 tonnes, which was 123 per cent more than the same months in 2024.

 

“China’s cut in speciality fertiliser supplies has not significantly reduced availability for farmers. The fertiliser industry here responded with agility to the disruption, increasing import from alternative sources. As a result, farmers have had adequate access to speciality fertilisers throughout the year. Also, this disruption has encouraged local players to diversify their sourcing base, which will help ensure more competitive and resilient supply chains in the coming years,” Sanjeev Kanwar, managing director, Yara International South-Asia, told Business Standard.

 

Water-soluble fertilisers, as the name suggests, are fertilisers that can be easily mixed in water and used through drip irrigation or sprinklers. They do not leave any solid material behind and are known to raise yields.

 

For example, in banana cultivation, WSF usage has led to a 35 per cent reduction in water consumption and increased profits by up to ₹98,000 per hectare.

 

Similarly, in tomato farming, WSF adoption has resulted in a 32 per cent reduction in water usage and profit growth of up to ₹77,000 per hectare.

 

However, their growth has been slow in India due to high costs compared to those of conventional fertilisers, as the cost is highly prohibitive.

 

Sources said, for example, 1 kg of conventional fertiliser costs ₹5-6, but a kg of WSF costs ₹80-100.

 

Import of urea and DAP from China dips

 

In contrast to WSFs, the more severe impact of Chinese curbs on fertiliser imports to India has been on shipments of urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) in bulk quantities, according to trade experts.

 

In FY24, India shipped in around 26.5 per cent of its urea import from China. It came down to just around 1.8 per cent in FY25. Similarly, China’s share in DAP imported into India in FY24 was almost 40 per cent, which has come down to 18.5 per cent in FY25.

 

Urea and DAP are the two most widely consumed fertilisers in India.