India imports 23.4 lakh tons of fertilizer in Oct

The country imported 23.4 lakh tonne of fertilizers, including urea and Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), in October this year, according to official data.

Out of the total fertilizer imports, DAP was maximum at 14.70 lakh tonne, followed by urea at 4.60 lakh tonne, Muriate of Potash (MoP) at 2.36 lakh tonne and complexes at 1.70 lakh tonne in the said month, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the domestic production of fertilizers was 36.19 lakh tonne in October, lower than the target of 41.54 lakh tonne set for the month.

Against the assessed requirement of 71.47 lakh tonne fertilizers for October, the availability was less at 64.28 lakh tonne, and sales stood at 53.34 lakh tonne during the period, as per the data. Barring urea and ammonia, prices of DAP and fertilizers had shown an increase in the global market in October when compared to the year-ago period. Urea is highly subsidized at Rs 5,360 per tonne in the country. The government also offers subsidies on other fertilizers to ensure the soil nutrients are available at affordable prices to the farming community.