Kamal Ghorui
Ongoing crisis in the Middle East has strained global energy supplies, but availability within the country continues to remain steady, the government has assured. Addressing a ministerial briefing, Aparna Sharma, additional secretary in the department of fertilizers, said, “The fertiliser availability remains robust, and the supplies continue to exceed the requirement. The department of fertilizers reaffirms the fertilizer security, which is strong, stable, and well managed, with availability consistently exceeding the requirement across all major fertilisers, and no shortages have been reported so far.”She added that the supply position has remained comfortable through April. “For the period from 1st April 2026 to 26th April 2026, availability remains substantially higher than requirement. Urea availability is 71.58 LMT against a requirement of 18.17 LMT and DAP availability is 22.35 LMT against 5.90 LMT across the country,” Sharma said.Meanwhile, commenting on fuel availability in the country, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary of the ministry of petroleum assured that the allocation of commercial LPG has been raised by up to 70%, even as instances of panic buying continue to be reported at some distributorships. “However, we have adequate supply of LPG and there is no dry out at any distributor,” she said.She added that the majority of deliveries are being carried out through the authentication system, with 93% of LPG cylinder distribution completed using the authentication code. So far, more than 1,65,000 tonnes of commercial LPG has been sold.According to earlier reports, India is preparing to secure urea supplies at significantly higher prices as global disruptions continue to strain fertiliser markets ahead of the kharif sowing peak.India Potash Ltd (IPL), the government-nominated importer, is in the process of procuring 25 lakh tonnes of urea at $935-$959 per tonne. The current rates are nearly twice the levels seen in a tender floated just two months earlier, where bids received by Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers were in the $508-$512 per tonne band.The spike in prices comes alongside a broader rise in input costs, with gas rates having doubled and other fertilisers also becoming more expensive. Supplies for the latest import are expected from countries including Russia, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia. To avoid disruptions, suppliers have agreed not to route shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been affected by the conflict. Meanwhile, the government also held several meetings to outline a framework for more efficient fertiliser use. Plans included linking distribution of chemical nutrients to a farmers’ database, along with efforts to promote balanced and scientific application through awareness drives.Officials have maintained that fertiliser availability for the kharif season is sufficient and higher than last year’s levels. They added that stocks are expected to remain comfortable ahead of peak demand in June.Rising costs of raw materials and finished fertilisers are, however, expected to push the subsidy bill beyond Rs 2 lakh crore, around 20% higher than earlier projections for 2026-27.India depends on imports for roughly 35-40% of its fertiliser requirement, with Gulf nations contributing about 40% of these supplies. Disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz have affected both fertiliser shipments and LNG supplies, a key input in urea production. Now, the Middle East conflict is inching closer to its two month mark, continuing to strain energy pipeline across the globe.
