Urea

Fertiliser subsidies in FY26 topped RE even before West Asia war

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

India restores 90% gas supply to fertiliser units ahead of kharif season

Indian Potash Limited has also started scouting for imports of 2.5 million tonnes of urea from global markets

Govt seeks 2.5 mn metric tonnes of urea amid West Asia supply disruptions

India, where farming is a mainstay, imports fertilisers such as urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash, as well as liquefied natural gas, a key feedstock for urea production

India issues tender to buy 2.5 mn tonnes of urea as Iran war hits supply

India regularly imports urea through global tenders to meet local demand

West Asia conflict: Fear arrives early in fields of Haryana and Punjab

In third part of series on West Asia impact, wholesalers warn of thin stocks as hoarding fears drive early fertiliser buying

LNG supply to urea units rises to 75-80%; output falls 27% in March

The government has also secured arrangements for 2.8 million tonnes of urea from Russia through the Cape of Good Hope route

Govt extends Indian Potash STE status for urea imports till March 2027

The government has extended the state trade enterprise (STE) status of Indian Potash Ltd till March 31, 2027 for import of urea, according to a notification. India produced 306.67 lakh tonnes of urea in 2024-25 and imported 56.47 lakh tonnes of the nutrient to meet the domestic demand. The country has imported 98 lakh tonnes of urea in the first eleven months of this fiscal year. "Import of Urea (Agricultural grade) on Government account is allowed through Indian Potash Ltd... till 31.03.2027," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification dated March 27. The move is important as the West Asia crisis has disrupted global fertiliser trade.

Domestic urea plants at half capacity as West Asia war choke gas supplies

India's urea plants are running at half capacity after force majeure declarations disrupted LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating West Asia tensions, industry sources said on Sunday. Petronet LNG Ltd, which operates India's largest liquefied natural gas receiving terminal, declared force majeure after upstream suppliers cited their inability to deliver contracted volumes amid disruptions to cargoes transiting the Strait, sources said. The move triggered supply curtailments by state-owned gas distributors GAIL (India) Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), which supply gas under RasGas contracts to fertiliser units across the country. "Gas supplies have been curtailed to approximately 60-65 per cent of normal levels," a senior industry official told PTI, adding that when scheduled plant turnarounds over the past six months were factored in, effective supply at some units had fallen below 50 per cent. Urea output at affecte

Urea plants gets additional gas in spot auction; to operate at 80% capacity

Fertiliser companies have purchased additional natural gas from the spot market to ramp up urea production at their plants, which are operating well below capacity due to a fuel shortage amid the West Asia crisis, a senior government official said on Thursday. After the procurement of additional natural gas, urea plants are expected to operate at 78-80 per cent capacity compared to 62 per cent currently. India produced 306.67 lakh tonnes of urea in 2024-25 and imported 56.47 lakh tonnes of the nutrient to meet the domestic demand. The country has imported 98 lakh tonnes of urea in the first eleven months of this fiscal. Fertiliser plants in the country require about 52 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of natural gas to operate at full capacity, but were receiving only around 32 MMSCMD, meeting barely 62 per cent of their requirement, resulting in a significant shortfall in urea output, the official told PTI. To address this, a spot auction was conducted by the

Daily urea production poised to jump 22% by Mar-end as LNG supplies up 23%

The 52 MMSCMD LNG requirement is based on the average natural gas consumption by urea making units in the last six months (September 2025-February 2026)

India's urea imports from China hit 3-year high, Russia supplies also surge

India imported 21.24 lakh tonne of urea from China between April 2025 and February 2026, the highest in three years, even as total fertiliser imports from China and Russia rose sharply this fiscal year, as per the government data placed before Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said that India had sourced fertilisers from both countries, with Chinese urea imports dramatically outpacing the 0.99 lakh tonne recorded in the full fiscal year 2024-25 and also exceeding 18.65 lakh tonne in 2023-24 and 12.80 lakh tonne in 2022-23. Beyond urea, India imported 5.11 lakh tonne of Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), 0.28 lakh tonne of Muriate of Potash (MoP) and 9.61 lakh tonne of NPK fertiliser from China between April 2025 and February 2026, bringing total phosphatic and potassic imports to 15 lakh tonne. Urea imports from Moscow stood at 13.99 lakh tonne till February, already higher than the 9.23 lakh tonne imported in ...

India asks china for urea as war-induced gas crunch hits plants

The move is a sign of the unusual measures countries are taking to secure key commodities as US-Israeli attacks in Iran snarl global trade and raise risks for food and energy supplies

India logs record phosphatic, potassic fertiliser output in January 2026

This signals a significant step towards strengthening India's fertiliser self-sufficiency, reducing dependence on imports in a segment that has traditionally relied heavily on overseas supplies

Govt conducting pilots with Agristack to link land, fertiliser use, crops

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

Best of BS Opinion: India must find its way as it enters a new world order

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.

73% of India's fertiliser demand met via domestic production in 2025: Govt

This has happened as domestic production of fertilisers in 2025 reached an all-time record

India's urea imports jump over twofold to 7.17 MT in Apr-Nov: FAI

India's urea imports more than doubled to 7.17 million tonnes in the first eight months of the current fiscal year as domestic production declined, highlighting the country's growing dependence on foreign supplies to meet farmer demand, industry data showed on Monday. Urea imports jumped 120.3 per cent to 7.17 MT during April-November 2024-25 compared with 3.26 MT in the year-ago period, according to data released by the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI). Domestic urea production fell 3.7 per cent to 19.75 MT during the same period. Overall urea sales rose 2.3 per cent to 25.40 MT, the data showed. "While we've achieved sales growth through coordinated planning, the significant reliance on imports -- particularly for urea and DAP -- underscores the importance of strategic supply chain management," FAI Chairman S Sankarasubramanian said in a statement. In November alone, urea imports rose 68.4 per cent to 1.31 MT, compared to 0.78 MT in November 2024. Urea sales rose 4.8 per ce

IFFCO yet to submit nano urea evaluation report, sales lag production

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has not submitted any evaluation report on the adoption of nano urea despite the fertiliser being in the market for over four years, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Responding to a written query by BJP MP Narhari Amin from Gujarat, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said IFFCO has not sent any evaluation report regarding the adoption of nano urea. Meanwhile, sales of the product continue to lag behind production, with 2.49 crore bottles remaining unsold since its launch in February 2021. Since the launch, total 14.11 crore bottles (500 ml each) of nano urea have been produced nationwide up to November 30, 2025. During the same period, 11.62 crore bottles have been sold across the country, she said in the Rajya Sabha. In the current fiscal (2025-26), production stood at 1.67 crore bottles till November 30, while sales were lower at 1.38 crore bottles. However, in 2024-25, sales outpaced producti

Weak rupee may raise fertiliser import, production costs and subsidy load

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 braces for higher fertiliser prices as China suspends exports

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 ...