No shortage concerns, fertiliser availability stable: Govt
New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) India’s fertiliser supply position remains stable and well above normal levels, with stocks currently accounting for more than 51 per cent of the annual requirement, the government said on Monday.
The assessment for the current year stands at 390.54 lakh metric tonnes, while existing stock levels are at 200.12 lakh metric tonnes, significantly higher than the usual benchmark of around 33 per cent, according to Aparna S. Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilisers.
Sharma said domestic production and imports have remained strong in the post-crisis period, supporting overall availability in the system.
Total domestic production has been about 95 lakh metric tonnes, while imports of around 22.60 lakh metric tonnes have further strengthened supplies, she said.
In all, about 117.6 lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser have been added to the overall availability base, she added.
The country has also secured adequate quantities of key fertilisers, including 13.5 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 9 lakh metric tonnes of complex fertilisers nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), ensuring sufficient availability for the upcoming peak kharif season.
Availability of raw materials required for fertiliser production also remains comfortable and is being regularly reviewed by the department, she added.
Category-wise, urea recorded domestic production of 57.66 lakh metric tonnes with imports of 13.60 lakh metric tonnes. DAP production stood at 7.93 lakh metric tonnes with imports of 0.88 lakh metric tonnes.
NPK saw domestic production of 18.71 lakh metric tonnes and imports of 4.44 lakh metric tonnes.
In addition, single super phosphate (SSP) production stood at 10.70 lakh metric tonnes with no imports, while potassium chloride or muriate of potash (MOP) was entirely import-dependent, with 3.68 lakh metric tonnes imported and no domestic production.
--IANS
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