India’s fertiliser imports are estimated to surge in the 2025-26 fiscal year following a strong monsoon in 2025 and higher crop yields, said the Fertilizer Association of India (FAI) on Tuesday.
Ahead of a three-day annual seminar that begins on December 10, which is to be inaugurated by Fertiliser Minister, J P Nadda, FAI’s chariman, S Shankarsubramanian, told reporters that they expected a higher fertiliser demand in FY26, adding that there are no supply constraints.
“There has been an increase in imports of fertilisers because of a sudden spurt in domestic demand because of good rains,” Shankarsubramanian said.
Consuming close to 70 million tonnes of fertiliser annually, India imported 14.45 million tonnes during April-October, up nearly 69 per cent from 8.56 million tonnes a year earlier, said FAI in its statement.
India is the world’s second-largest consumer of fertiliser, second only to China, and serves more than 140 million farming households.
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While the body expects a 41 per cent jump in fertiliser imports to 22.3 million tonnes in the 2025-26 fiscal year, fertiliser stocks stood at 10.2 million tonnes by end-November versus 9.97 million tonnes a year earlier, including 5 million tonnes of urea, 1.7 million tonnes of DAP and 3.5 million tonnes of NPK fertilisers, the body’s chairman said.
Shankarsubramanian, who is also managing director of Coromandel International, said India has contracted large volumes in the last two months and there are no supply constraints.
“While there were isolated shortages during the kharif season, overall supplies remained adequate,” he added.
Domestic fertiliser production also rose marginally to 29.97 million tonnes in April-October from 29.75 million tonnes a year earlier, FAI data showed. This included 17.13 million tonnes of urea, 2.32 million tonnes of DAP, 7.04 million tonnes of NPK fertilisers and 3.48 million tonnes of SSP.
Over 150 companies meet nearly three-quarters of India’s nutrient needs, with imports covering the rest, the association added.
The government has provided more than ₹1.9 lakh crore in subsidies to farmers through urea and nutrient-based frameworks in 2024-25.
The country has also forged strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Russia to strengthen supply security, FAI said.
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