Parliament Question: Fertiliser availability in Fatehgarh Sahib

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2278 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 31.07.2026 Fertiliser availability in Fatehgarh Sahib 2278 Dr. Amar Singh:

Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has reviewed the availability and timely supply of urea, DAP and other fertilisers in view of reported shortages during the sowing season in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the policy for allocation of subsidised fertilisers along with the criteria adopted for matching demand with supply to the said State;

(c) whether cases of diversion, black marketing or hoarding of fertilisers have been detected in the said State during the last three years, if so, the details thereof along with the action taken thereon, year-wise;

(d) the mechanism put in place for real-time monitoring of fertiliser stocks, distribution and timely replenishment during peak agricultural seasons; and

(e) the measures taken to strengthen fertiliser supply, improve distribution efficiency and ensure availability of fertilisers at notified prices to farmers? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a) to (e) Following steps are taken by the Government every season for ensuring timely and adequate supply of fertilizers across the States/UTs:

I. Before the commencement of each cropping season, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), in consultation with all the State Governments, assessesthe State-wise & month-wise requirement of fertilizers. On the basis of requirement projected by DA&FW, Department of Fertilizers (DoF) allocates adequate quantities of fertilizers to States by issuing monthly supply plan and continuously monitors the availability.

II. The movement of all major subsidized fertilizers is monitored throughout the country by an on-line web-based monitoring system called integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS).

III. The gap between demand (requirement) and production for Urea & other fertilizer is met through imports. The import for the season is also finalized well in advance to ensure timely availability.

IV. The State Governments are regularly advised to coordinate with manufacturers and importers for streamlining the supplies through timely placement of indents.

V. Regularly coordinate with the Ministry of Railways for giving sufficient rakes, priority to fertilizers and for timely evacuation of rakes for States.

VI. The distribution of fertilizers within the State at district level is done by the State Government.

Accordingly, the availability of fertilizers i.e. Urea, DAP, MOP and NPKS has remained adequate in the State of Punjab during the ongoing Kharif 2026 season as shown under:

PUNJAB AVAILABILITY OF FERTILIZERS DURING THE ONGOING KHARIF 2026 (FROM

01.04.26 TO 26.07.26) fig. in MTs S.N Closing Stock as on PRODUCT Requirement Availability DBT Sales o 26.07.26 1 UREA 12,09,677 15,46,520 12,28,610 3,18,220 2 DAP 1,55,161 2,45,390 1,37,300 1,08,090 3 MOP 58,387 64,480 22,160 42,310 4 NPKS 49,194 50,330 19,130 31,200 Further, as per the information received from the State Government of Punjab, the State Government regularly reviews the availability and supply of urea, DAP, and other fertilizers during the sowing season to ensure an uninterrupted supply of all fertilizers and preventany shortages, while also guaranteeing an equitable distribution across all districts.

Accordingly, the information regarding availability and sales of fertilizers during the ongoing Kharif 2026 season in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, as informed by the State, is as below:

Fertilizer Availability Sale Urea 38377 28662 DAP 4260 2534 Others 2300 1476 State Government of Punjab has also informed that they are continuously educating the farmers and making aware them through various channels to purchase fertilizers at notified prices.

Further, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) in consultation with the State Government is regularly monitoring the enforcement action taken by State Government against the cases of Black marketing, Hoarding, Sub-standard and Diversion on weekly basis. As informed by DA&FW, in FY 2025-26 and 2026-27 (from 01.04.2026 to 17.07.2026), 8,789 raids have been conducted with 506 show cause notices issued, 113 licenses suspended/cancelled and 23 FIRs registered against defaulters in the State of Punjab.

Under the Urea Subsidy Scheme, Urea is provided to the farmers at a statutorily notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The MRP of 45 kg bag of Urea is Rs. 242 per bag (exclusive of charges towards neem coating and taxes as applicable). The difference between the delivered cost of Urea at farm gate and net market.realization by the Urea units is given as subsidy to the Urea manufacturer/importer by the Government of India. Accordingly, all farmers are being supplied Urea at the subsidized rates.

The Government has also implemented Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme w.e.f.

01.04.2010 for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers. Under NBS policy, MRP of P&K fertilizers are decontrolled and companies are free to fix MRP as per their business dynamics at a reasonable level. The NBS subsidy is provided to manufacturer / importer on notified P&K fertilizers on its PoS sale during the season, depending on their nutrient content to ensure availability of fertilizers to farmers. The volatility in international prices of key fertilizers and raw materials is considered while fixing NBS rates for P&K fertilizers so that fertilizers remain affordable to the farmers.

To make DAP which is a key fertilizer, available at affordable price of Rs. 1350 per 50 kg bag, special provisions like Rs. 3500 per MT to cover ‘Other Costs’ which includes costs incurred from factory gate to farm gate, advantage / disadvantage due to increase/decrease in international prices, provision for GST component included in the MRP and provision for reasonable return @ 4% of net MRP (MRP-GST) have beenextended to both imported and domestic DAP and imported TSP over and above NBS subsidy for Kharif 2026 season to keep the prices of fertilizers stable.

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