As China Cuts Down DAP Exports, Indian Farmers in Several States Face Fertiliser Shortage
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: With China reducing the supply of the widely used fertiliser Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), farmers in several states are facing a fertiliser shortage during the Kharif season.
DAP is India’s second most-consumed fertiliser after urea and a large chunk of it is imported in finished form. With China drastically reducing exports and squeezing global supplies of phosphate fertilisers, Indian farmers are faced with a fertilizer shortage at the peak of the Kharif season, reported Indian Express.
China has placed curbs on exports to ensure that its farmers have access to the product first. Lately, Indian importers are sourcing DAP from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Russia and Jordan. But none of these countries have been able to fill the void left by China.
On Monday (July 14) the opposition Congress cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Chhattisgarh over shortage of fertilisers.
The Congress accused the BJP in the state assembly that the government reduced the target for DAP distribution for Kharif 2025 by 30,000 tonnes over last year’s figures and only 1.01 lakh tonnes had been supplied so far, reported Hindustan Times.
“The government appears to be deliberately creating an artificial fertiliser crisis to reduce paddy cultivation,” said Chhattisgarh Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant.
In Karnataka, the Union government had allocated 4 lakh tonnes of DAP, but so far only 1.89 lakh tonnes has been supplied.
“We have been able to distribute 1.9 lakh tonnes so far, including from the last year’s stock. For rabi, allocation will be in July-end. We don’t know how much we will get,” said a source quoted by New Indian Express.
A few weeks ago, Karanataka agriculture minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy had written to Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers J.P. Nadda, informing him about the shortage.
He had stated that the Union government had supplied 4.91 lakh tonnes of DAP during 2024-25 for both kharif and rabi seasons, while the consumption was 5.85 lakh tonnes, which was met using the previous stock, the New Indian Express report added.
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