The impact of the ongoing war in West Asia has now started reaching the fields of India. In many areas of Madhya Pradesh including Bhopal, farmers are facing a lot of difficulties in getting fertilizers. Due to the international supply chain being affected, the availability of fertilizers has reduced, due to which crop production and prices of food items are expected to be affected in the future. Farmers say that in the current situation, collecting fertilizer has become a very challenging task.
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What do farmers and experts say on the shortage of fertilizers?
According to the farmers of Bhopal, fertilizer has now become as precious and rare for them as gold and silver. Due to shortage of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), many farmers are forced to buy fertilizer from the black market at expensive prices. Former Agriculture Secretary Siraj Hussain has also warned that if this crisis continues for a long time, there will be a deep impact on production during the monsoon harvest. Apart from this, CRISIL Ratings has estimated that fertilizer production may decrease by 10 to 15 percent.
What steps did the government take to improve the supply?
The central government has taken several major decisions to overcome the shortage of fertilizers and has claimed that there is sufficient stock for Kharif 2026. Domestic production of urea has been increased by 23 percent. The government has also made agreements with countries like Russia and Morocco so that the supply of fertilizer is maintained. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has informed that the stock of fertilizers in the country till March 23, 2026 is as follows:
Type of Manure Available Stock (Lakh MT) Urea 53.08 DAP 21.80 MOP 7.98 NPKS 48.38
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The government has issued ‘Natural Gas Supply Regulation Order’ in March 2026 to ensure gas supply to fertilizer plants. Under this, priority is being given to fertilizer factories so that production does not stop. Union Minister Shivraj Chauhan has directed officials to curb black marketing of fertilizers and ensure transparent distribution through ‘Kisan ID’. The government has also made it clear that the price of a bag of DAP will remain at Rs 1,350 and the burden of rising prices in the international market will not be passed on to farmers.
