New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) The government on Monday said it is in the process of finalising imports of 17 lakh tonnes of urea to boost domestic supply and asserted that it does not see any major challenge in availability of fertilisers for the ongoing Kharif sowing season.

At an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Bandana Preyashi, the joint secretary in the Department of Fertilizers, said, "Overall stock position of fertilisers in the country is comfortable".

She informed that the agriculture ministry has reassessed fertiliser requirements at 383.9 lakh tonnes for the current Kharif (summer-sown) season.

Against this projected demand, Preyashi said the stock, as of today, is 196.65 lakh tonnes, significantly higher than the usual level of about 33 per cent. Farmers have already bought.

"This reflects improved planning, advanced stocking, and efficient logistics management by the government," the joint secretary said.

On the sales front, Preyashi said that farmers have already purchased 102.78 lakh tonnes of chemical fertilisers in the ongoing kharif season, which is around 37 per cent of the total requirement.

"Pending consumption is 281.12 lakh tonnes, and out of that we have 196 lakh tonnes available today," she said, adding that the stock position is comfortable because of domestic production as well as imports.

During this ongoing crisis period, Preyashi said the country has secured more than 50 lakh tonnes of urea and P&K (phosphatic and potassic) fertilisers.

She said the government entity has floated a tender to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea and the same is in the "process of finalisation".

State-owned National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL), which recently floated a tender to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea, has received bids for over 60 lakh tonnes with the lowest rate of about USD 445 per tonne from global trading companies.

Apart from chemical nutrients, Preyashi said farmers have purchased 11.82 lakh tonnes of organic manure so far, compared to 3.31 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period last year. The stock of organic manure is about 22.60 lakh tonnes.

This substantial increase in sale of organic manure indicates a gradual shift in farmers' preference from chemical fertilisers to organic alternatives, she said.

"At present, we see no major challenge to the availability of fertilisers for the ongoing kharif season," she asserted.

Elaborating on supply, Preyashi said 123.65 lakh tonnes of domestic production and 39.36 lakh tonnes of imports of fertilisers have been done after the crisis.

So, a total of 163.01 lakh tonnes of fertilisers have been added post West Asia crisis.

"During this ongoing crisis period, India has secured more than 50 lakh tonnes of urea and P&K fertilisers," she said.

India has secured urea supplies from Oman, Malaysia, Vietnam, Georgia, Nigeria, Russia, Finland, Egypt, Algeria, Turkey, and the Netherlands.

DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and NPKs have been sourced from Russia, Morocco, Egypt, USA, Jordan, South Korea, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

"We have 16 ships in SOH (Strait of Hormuz) as of today," Preyashi said, adding that there are eight ships carrying urea, four DAP ships, three sulphur and one ammonia.

In these ships, there are 3.3 lakh tonnes of urea, 2.57 lakh tonnes of DAP and 1.1 lakh tonnes of sulphur.

"So this is the SOH scenario, and we are totally completely prepared for the kharif season. The department does not anticipate any problem in the season, and we are keenly watching the international and national unfolding in the international and national scenario," the joint secretary said.

Preyashi stated that the department is regularly reviewing the availability of inputs for production of fertilisers.

"The department is regularly paying all the subsidy bills raised by the companies on a weekly basis, and at present, adequate budget is available for payment of fertiliser subsidy," she said.

Preyashi emphasised that India's fertiliser security remains strong, stable, and well-managed, with availability consistently exceeding requirement across all major fertilisers.

India's domestic urea production surged from 225 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to an all-time record high of 314.07 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. In 2024-25, production was 306.67 lakh tonnes.

The country imported more than 100 lakh tonnes of urea last fiscal to meet local demand.

Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizer manufacturing reached a historic high of 211.22 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, scaling up significantly from 159.54 lakh tonnes in 2014-15. PTI MJH MJH MR