mandi bhav of india

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Govt sees no shortage of fertilisers in Kharif

New Delhi,  Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday
asserted that there will be no shortage of fertilisers in the upcoming kharif sowing season as the
domestic production and stocks-in-hand will be sufficient to meet the local demand for soil
nutrients.
The minister said the country might not require to import urea from the spot market to meet Kharif
(summer-sown) demand. Urea being imported under long-term supply agreements will come.
However, he said, there will be some import of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) to meet the local
demand.
“There will be no shortage of fertilisers in the upcoming kharif season. The stocks that we will have
at the start of next month and estimated domestic production between April and September of
next fiscal will be sufficient to meet the projected requirement during Kharif season,” Mandaviya
told reporters here.
He said the country will not need to import urea and NPK from spot markets.
Mandaviya informed that the planning for fertiliser demand and supply for the upcoming Kharif
season has already been done by the ministry.
The sowing of crops in the Kharif season starts with the onset of the monsoon. Paddy and cotton,
pulses and soyabean are the major crops.
Giving details, Mandaviya said the estimated requirement of urea for the kharif season is 179 lakh
tonnes, while the total availability will be 194.31 lakh tonnes, which includes an opening stock of 55
lakh tonnes as of April 1 and production of 139.31 lakh tonnes during the next six months.
Similarly, the opening stock of DAP is 25 lakh tonnes and production is estimated at 20 lakh tonnes,
taking the total availability to 45 lakh tonnes for the Kharif season. The requirement for DAP for
Kharif is estimated at 58.82 lakh tonnes, he said, adding that the gap would be filled through
imports.
For NPKS, the total requirement for Kharif is 63.72 lakh tonnes while the total availability will be 77.15. PTI