15 Fertiliser Ships Cross Hormuz Safely
India’s fertiliser supply chain has remained stable despite West Asia tensions, with 15 of 20 India-bound vessels carrying fertilisers and raw materials safely crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the Centre said.
India Fertiliser Supply Remains Stable
The government said eight vessels carrying 3.32 lakh tonnes of urea, four vessels carrying 2.57 lakh tonnes of DAP, and three vessels carrying 1.11 lakh tonnes of sulphur have crossed the key shipping route and are on schedule to reach Indian ports.
Five more vessels are also in the pipeline. These include one ship carrying 0.25 lakh tonnes of ammonia and another carrying 0.45 lakh tonnes of urea. Loading is underway for two additional urea vessels and one sulphur vessel.
Strait Of Hormuz Shipments On Track
The Strait of Hormuz has seen disruptions due to the West Asia conflict, raising concerns over global fertiliser movement and shipment delays. However, the Centre said timely planning, coordination and monitoring helped ensure uninterrupted availability for Indian farmers.
The government has arranged urea supplies from Oman, Malaysia, Vietnam, Georgia, Nigeria, Russia, Finland, Egypt, Algeria, Turkiye and the Netherlands. For DAP and NPK fertilisers, supplies have been secured through the Red Sea route from Russia, Morocco, Egypt, the US, Jordan, South Korea, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Domestic Fertiliser Production Supports Stocks
Natural gas supply to fertiliser plants, which had dropped to nearly 65 percent during the disruption, has now been restored to 100 percent. This has allowed urea plants to operate at full capacity.
Domestic production also exceeded targets in the April-June quarter, with urea output at 71.55 lakh tonnes and DAP production at 9.84 lakh tonnes. As of July 2, total fertiliser availability stood at 163.35 lakh tonnes, including urea, DAP, MOP, NPK and SSP stocks.
