Data show that during November1-7, sales of urea were 6.18 lt (2.58 lt a year ago)
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PTI
India could witness huge demand for urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) during November-December as sales of these key fertilizers more than doubled in the first week of November compared with the year-ago period.
November-December accounted for nearly half the rabi sales of urea and DAP of 249 lakh tonnes (mt) last year, and going by the initial trends, the going could be tough in view of the unexpected surge in demand.
According to the latest data, the opening stock as on November 1 was: urea 50.54 lt (68.16 lt a year ago), DAP 19.05 lt (11.52 lt), Muriate of Potash (MOP) 7.33 lt (7.41 lt), complex (combination of all nutrients) 36.21 lt (31.13 lt). On the other hand, the demand during the entire November has been pegged for urea at 43.54 lt, for DAP at 17.19 lt, for MOP at 3.35 lt and for complex at 18.85 lt.
“Except Urea, the opening stock is good enough to meet November demand, though more supplies will be added to the overall availability from fresh production and arrival of imported fertilisers,” said an industry source.
Lack of coordination
However, agriculture experts said the government may find it a problem to manage the supply situation, as seen during the kharif season due to lack of coordination between the Agriculture and Fertilizer Ministries. Sources said the Fertilizer Ministry has not been sharing valuable information in time nor the Agriculture Ministry could share the necessary inputs.
Citing the last season’s jump in urea demand due to higher area under paddy and maize, which was also mentioned by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as a reason for complaints of non-availability of fertilisers from farmers, industry experts said there has to be some prior assessment of crop preference and plan should be chalked out accordingly.
“Last year, the wheat farmers received good prices for their crop, in many places above the minimum support prices. The area under wheat may likely rise this year. Though the initial sowing report has shown a rise, it is largely due to the early harvest of paddy crops at many places,” an official source said. If wheat area rises, there may be some shift from other crops and such trend should be analysed to assess the likely demand for fertilizers, he said.
27% rabi area increase
Data show that during November1-7, sales of urea were 6.18 lt (2.58 lt a year ago), DAP were 3.49 lt (1.43 lt), MOP 0.49 lt (0.27 lt), and complex 3.10 lt (1.60 lt). The total area under all crops has increased by 27 per cent to over 130 lakh hectares (lh) as of November 10 from 102 lh a year ago, with wheat acreage at 22.7 lh against 10 lh a year ago.
Last rabi season, there was fertilizer shortage reportedly during peak the sowing period across the country, particularly of urea and DAP, though sales of these two fertilizers were higher during November-December 2024 from the year-ago period.
The fertilizer ministry on November 13 issued a statement saying it along with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare jointly undertook a comprehensive drive to secure the fertiliser supply chain and ensure adequate supply by conducting 3,17,054 raids/inspections on retailers, dealers since April and have been continuing the same efforts in the ongoing Rabi sowing season.
The government remains committed to ensuring the availability of fertilizers this season as well, it said.
Published on November 14, 2025