India’s fertiliser supply chain came under strain during the 2025 kharif season as urea imports surged by nearly 137 percent between April and October, even as domestic production declined by 4 per cent. Data from the Fertiliser Association of India highlights how vulnerable India’s fertiliser ecosystem remains to production fluctuations and global supply disruptions.
Urea is the most widely used fertilizer in the country and a critical input for cereals, pulses, and oilseeds. Any disruption in its availability directly affects farm operations, input costs, and food security. The situation worsened when China temporarily halted exports of urea and other soil nutrients during the peak kharif sowing period. This coincided with strong fertilizer demand driven by a well-distributed monsoon and increased acreage under nutrient-intensive crops such as maize.
As a result, stocks of urea, DAP, and specialty fertilizers were depleted across regions, forcing India to import from alternative markets at higher prices. In September alone, urea imports were reported to be nearly six times higher than the same month last year. While domestic capacity has expanded and production reached record levels in FY24, dependence on imports continues due to raw material constraints and rising seasonal demand.
These developments underline a structural challenge. Expanding manufacturing capacity is necessary, but not sufficient. Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) is equally critical to reduce pressure on fertilizer demand.
This is where digital tools like the Sat2Farm app play an important role. By using satellite-based soil and crop intelligence, Sat2Farm enables site-specific fertilizer application and better timing aligned with crop growth stages. This improves nutrient uptake, reduces losses from leaching and volatilization, and increases yield per unit of fertilizer applied.
By improving NUE, limited fertilizer supplies can deliver higher productivity, lowering import dependency and making India’s fertilizer system more resilient to future supply shocks in an increasingly volatile global market.
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FAQs (Urea Imports and Exports)
1. Why did India’s urea imports rise sharply in 2025?
Urea imports increased due to a drop in domestic production, strong seasonal demand during the kharif season, and global supply disruptions, including a temporary export halt by China.
2. Why is urea availability critical for Indian agriculture?
Urea is the primary nitrogen fertilizer used across major crops such as cereals, pulses, and oilseeds. Any shortage directly affects crop yields, input costs, and food security.
3. Is expanding domestic fertilizer production enough to prevent future shortages?
While increasing domestic capacity is important, it is not sufficient on its own. Dependence on imported raw materials and seasonal demand spikes mean supply risks will continue without better demand management.
4. What is Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) and why is it important?
Nutrient Use Efficiency measures how effectively crops use applied fertilizers. Improving NUE reduces fertilizer wastage, lowers costs, and decreases overall demand without affecting productivity.
5. How does the Sat2Farm app support improved NUE?
Sat2Farm uses satellite-based soil and crop intelligence to enable site-specific fertilizer application and better timing aligned with crop growth stages, helping increase nutrient uptake and reduce losses.
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