K News Desktop- The increasing tension in the Middle East may now affect India’s fertilizer supply as well. While oil and gas prices have already seen a rise, now it is feared that this may also affect the availability and prices of fertiliser. India is one of the largest agricultural countries in the world and imports a large part of its needs from abroad. In such a situation, the increasing tension in West Asia can have a direct impact on the country’s fertilizer supply.
According to reports, India’s fertilizer imports increased by about 41 percent last year. According to the report of business newspaper Mint, by February 2026, India has imported about 9.8 million tonnes of finished fertilizer. In the last financial year, the country had purchased fertilizers worth about 10.23 billion dollars i.e. about 94 thousand crore rupees from abroad.
Amidst the increasing tension in the Middle East, the news of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has further increased the concern. If movement on this sea route is affected, the supply of fertilizer may be disrupted and shipping costs may also increase.
India imports urea mainly from Oman, Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries like UAE and Qatar. If UAE is also included then the share of Gulf countries becomes higher. In such a situation, it is natural for regional tensions to impact India’s fertilizer supply.
India’s fertilizer subsidy bill has reached about Rs 1.86 lakh crore in 2025-26, which is more than 40 percent of the total subsidy expenditure of the Central Government. If shipping becomes expensive and supply routes change, these costs may increase further. Due to this, there is a possibility of increase in the prices of chemical fertilizers like DAP and Urea in the country.
According to experts, India’s fertilizer import may reach record levels in 2025-26. It is estimated that it may go up to about $18 billion, which will be about 76 percent more than last year. In the first nine months of the financial year itself, fertilizer import has reached about $13.98 billion, which is 71 percent more than last year.
Domestic production of urea is increasing in India, but the country is still dependent on imports for many important fertilizers like NPK and DAP. For this reason, the government has tried to ensure the supply of about 86 lakh metric tons of fertilizer by entering into agreements with countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
Apart from this, considering the current situation, India is now considering increasing imports from countries like Indonesia, Belarus, Morocco and Russia, so that the impact of tension in the Middle East is minimal on the country’s agricultural system.
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