Bengaluru, May 18 (IANS) Karnataka Agriculture Ministry said Monday that compared to previous years, the opening stock of urea fertiliser is significantly lower this year.

It said that the opening stock stood at 3.91 lakh metric tonnes in 2023, 5.41 lakh metric tonnes in 2024, and 3.46 lakh metric tonnes in 2025. However, in the current year, only 2.80 lakh metric tonnes are available.

Further, Minister for Agriculture c stated on Monday, “At the global level, instability has emerged in the import of fertilisers and raw materials required for fertiliser production, such as ammonia, liquefied natural gas, phosphoric acid, and sulphuric acid, due to the crisis in the Middle East. As a result, the supply of fertilisers during the 2026 monsoon season in the state is likely to be affected, leading to disruptions in fertiliser availability across Karnataka.”

“In addition, urea and diammonium phosphate fertilisers have not been supplied by the Central government in proportion to the demand. Due to this, there is a possibility of a shortage of fertilisers during the monsoon cropping season,” he said.

For the current monsoon season, the Central government has allocated a total of 30.05 lakh metric tonnes of various grades of fertilisers. This includes 11.10 lakh metric tonnes of urea, 4.00 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate, 2.12 lakh metric tonnes of muriate of potash, 11.88 lakh metric tonnes of complex fertilisers, and 0.95 lakh metric tonnes of single super phosphate, he stated.

The Central government had earlier allocated and supplied all fertilisers, including urea, in accordance with demand without considering the opening balance available.

As a result, there is no shortage of any type of fertiliser in the state at present, the Minister said.

Against the demand of 4.02 lakh metric tonnes of various grades of fertilisers in April, the Central government supplied only 2.54 lakh metric tonnes, resulting in a shortage of 1.48 lakh metric tonnes.

The shortfall mainly includes 0.38 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate and 0.14 lakh metric tonnes of urea, he noted.

Similarly, against the demand of 4.54 lakh metric tonnes of various grades of fertilisers so far in May, the Central government has supplied only 1.77 lakh metric tonnes, while 2.77 lakh metric tonnes are still pending supply.

The pending quantity mainly comprises 0.65 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 0.78 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate, the Minister further pointed out.

“From April till now, there has been a total demand for 8.57 lakh metric tonnes of various grades of fertilisers. Out of this, only 4.31 lakh metric tonnes have been supplied, while 4.25 lakh metric tonnes are still pending.

The pending quantity mainly includes 0.79 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 1.17 lakh metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate,” he said.

Explaining the measures taken to tackle the situation, the Minister said, “On April 16, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister with Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers, during which instructions were issued to take appropriate measures for effective fertiliser management.”

“Efforts are also being made to promote the use of alternative fertilisers such as bio-fertilisers, organic fertilisers, green manure, and crop residue utilisation, along with encouraging natural and organic farming practices.

Awareness is being widely created among farmers regarding the use of alternative fertilisers, including 100 per cent water-soluble fertilisers, micronutrients, nano urea, and nano diammonium phosphate,” he stated.

–IANS

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