There has been a reduction for urea demand from 194 to 190 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) following the reassessment by the Agriculture Ministry owing to IMD’s below-normal rainfall prediction due to El Nino this Kharif season, the government said on Monday.
It also said that the demand for fertiliser DAP has also been reduced from 59 to 56 LMT by states.
Addressing a media briefing on the inter-ministerial meeting on the West Asia crisis, Aparna Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilisers said India’s fertiliser security remains strong, stable, and well-managed, with overall availability consistently exceeding requirements across all major fertilisers.
“The overall stock position of fertilisers in the country remains comfortable,” she said.
The official said the Ministry of Agriculture and Family Welfare has re-assessed the requirement for Kharif-2026 in consultation with states of major fertilisers.
“The demand for urea has been reduced from 194.02 LMT to 190.32 LMT, and DAP from 59.17 LMT to 56.23 LMT. For Kharif 2026, the fertiliser requirement has been re-assessed at 383.9 LMT, against this stock as on today is around 199.86 LMT (more than 52%), significantly higher than the usual level of about 33%. This reflects improved planning, advance stocking, and efficient logistics management by the government,” she added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had projected below-normal rainfall across several key regions, and warned of heat wave conditions in multiple states starting June. The country is expected to receive 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) rainfall during the June-September monsoon season, with a model error margin of four per cent, the weather body said.
El Nino, characterised by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, disrupts the Walker Circulation and often suppresses monsoon activity.
The department also highlighted the sharp rise in global urea prices, noting that international prices have increased to USD 947 per metric tonne currently from USD 447 per metric tonne before the crisis.
Despite elevated global prices, domestic production of urea and DAP remains higher compared with the previous year, it said.
Sharma said the country has issued another global tender for procurement of 17 LMT urea, which are under progress.
“Inspite of challenges, India achieved domestic production of urea at 25.17 LMT in May, which are higher by 2.80 LMT as compared to May-25 production. India achieved domestic production of DAP at 3.86 LMT in May, which are higher by 2,000 MT as compared to May, 2025 production,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry is continuously monitoring the weather pattern, sowing techniques and seeds availability for the crucial Kharif season.
