Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha that the country currently holds a robust fertilizer stock of 163 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) for the month of April. This represents a significant 26% increase over the previous year's stock of 128.54 LMT, a result attributed to the government's visionary planning. The Minister stated that while sufficient stocks are available for the Kharif season, the government is already making provisions through supplementary demands to ensure the Department of Fertilizers can prepare effectively for the upcoming Rabi season.

Addressing the house during the discussion on the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the 2025-26 Budget, the Finance Minister highlighted that the government is spending approximately ₹19,000 crore more than the original Budget Estimate for fertilizer subsidies in second supplementary demands. She emphasized that the focus remains on boosting domestic manufacturing alongside necessary imports. Domestic urea production has seen a steady rise, growing from 225 LMT in 2014-15 to 306.67 LMT in 2024-25.

To further enhance self-reliance, the government has already operationalized six new production units under the New Investment Policy initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These units, each with an average annual capacity of 12.7 LMT, have collectively added 76.2 LMT to the nation's urea production capacity. Additionally, work is underway on two new plants in Odisha and Assam under the 2015 New Urea Policy, which are expected to add another 25.4 LMT annually once they become functional. Beyond new installations, the government is also expanding the capacity of existing plants to meet agricultural demands.

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NEERAJ KUMAR BHATT/AMIT/ SHATRUGHNA
Email- cmc.fertilizers[at]gmail[dot]com