Govt has Enough Fertilizer Stock for Kharif Season, Says Mansukh Mandaviya

"The expected urea consumption is 179.01 MT, whereas domestic output is 139 lakh MT and 55 lakh MT is already in stock," said Mandaviya. He stated that the government has 25 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate ready for the Kharif season.

"The need for diammonium phosphate (DAP) for the Kharif season is 58 lakh metric tonnes, with domestic output at 20 lakh MT and 25 lakh MT already on hand. The requirement for nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) (NPKS) for the Kharif season is 63 lakh MT, and the output of NPKS is 49 lakh metric tonne, with 28 lakh MT of NPKS already in storage for the Kharif season," he added. The Union Minister stated that the 'one nation, one fertiliser' plan is being undertaken under the 'Bharat' banner, such as Bharat Urea, Bharat DAP, Bharat MOP, and Bharat NPKS.

When asked about the significance of nano urea, Mandaviya stated that it is more efficient than regular urea and has numerous advantages for farmers such as increased crop output and ease of transportation. Farmers, he claims, prefer nano urea. According to Mandaviya, the government has approved nano DAP, and production will begin within six months.

He stated that three IFFCO nano DAP facilities and one CIL plant will enter production by 2026-27. He stated that one bottle of DAP is equivalent to a 50kg DAP bag, and that 10-12 crore bottles of DAP are likely to be produced by 2026-27. The minister further stated that the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has formed a special team comprised of committed personnel to conduct regular inspections.

The 'Fertilizers Flying Squad' has been formed to conduct regular surprise inspections to check for diversion, black marketing, hoarding, and supply of sub-standard fertilisers, with a focus on plywood, resin, ceramic, glue, plywood, resin, crockery, moulding powder, dairy, industrial mining explosives, and where agriculture grade urea is used instead of industrial grade urea.

Farmers are provided with subsidised urea, according to the Minister, and the expense borne by the Centre is approximately Rs 3000, while farmers pay only Rs 266. Mandaviya stated that, aside from mixture producing operations, flying squad surprise inspections were performed on 289 fertiliser or related units in 14 states. FIRs and complaints have been lodged in connection with the alleged diversion of urea.

"Several warnings were issued for mismatches in procurement, production, and sales data, and 66,276 bags of suspected urea were seized from Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, with 30,000 bags disposed of in accordance with FCO norms. Of the 250 samples tested, 48 were determined to be substandard and 32 to contain neem oil. The states have begun legal and administrative processes," he said.