New Delhi, 25 May (H.S.): The Central Government on Monday said that there is adequate stock of fertilizers in the country to meet demand and ensure smooth availability during the upcoming Kharif season.

The government stated that the total fertilizer requirement for the Kharif season has been estimated at 390.54 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), against which a stock of 200.12 LMT is currently available.

Addressing an inter-ministerial press conference in New Delhi, Additional Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers Aparna S. Sharma said that following the West Asia crisis, domestic fertilizer production has remained strong, and imports are also being carried out to ensure uninterrupted supply.

Additional Secretary Aparna S. Sharma noted that the country’s fertilizer situation remains satisfactory compared to the estimated requirement of 390.54 LMT for the current year. She said that the existing stock of 200.12 LMT accounts for over 51 percent of the requirement, which is significantly higher than the normal benchmark level of 33 percent.

She further stated that despite the ongoing crisis in West Asia, domestic production and fertilizer imports have remained robust. Total domestic production stood at approximately 95 lakh metric tonnes, while around 22.60 lakh metric tonnes have been imported into the country. In total, this has added about 117.6 lakh metric tonnes to overall availability.

She added that the country has also secured 13.5 lakh metric tonnes of DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) and 9 lakh metric tonnes of NPK complex fertilizers, which will help ensure adequate availability during the peak period of the Kharif season.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar