Securing the Soil: How PM Modi’s Strategic Vision Achieved Record Fertilizer Production and Insulated Farmers from Global Shocks
Massive Boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat: Advanced Sowing Stock Surpasses 51% for Kharif 2026 as India Slashing Import Reliance
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last 12 years, the Department of Fertilizers has achieved monumental milestones, driving India toward complete self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) and insulating its annadatas (farmers) from unprecedented global market disruptions.
Despite severe geopolitical conflicts in West Asia causing skyrocketing prices, acute
shortages of natural gas, and heavily delayed shipping lines, the Government of India has mounted a proactive, war-footing response to ensure seamless fertilizer sufficiency.12 Years of Unparalleled Achievements & Domestic Production Surge (2014–2026)
Urea Plant Revolution: Six new mega urea plants have been established since 2014, adding a remarkable annual capacity increase of 76.2 lakh metric tonnes (LMT). Two more high-capacity urea plants with a combined annual capacity of 25.4 LMT are set to commence production shortly.
Record-Breaking Urea Output: India’s domestic urea production surged from a mere 225 LMT in 2014-15 to an all-time record high of 314.07 LMT in 2023-24. In the latest fiscal year 2024-25, production remained stellar at 306.67 LMT.
Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) Growth: Mirroring the success in urea, P&K fertilizer manufacturing reached a historic high of 211.22 LMT in 2024-25, scaling up significantly from 159.54 LMT in 2014-15. Public and private sectors are continuing this momentum by constructing state-of-the-art P&K production plants.
Resilient Crisis Management & Unprecedented Buffer Stock for Kharif 2026
To address shipping delays around the Strait of Hormuz, the government rapidly explored alternative transit routes and engaged diplomatic channels to source materials directly from global producers. Under PM Modi’s direct guidance, seven Empowered Groups of Secretaries were constituted—with the Fertilizer Secretary leading 10 high-level reviews—guaranteeing seamless inter-ministerial synergy and solving domestic natural gas supply issues in coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Historic Buffer Stock: Against a projected total requirement re-assessed by DA&FW at 383.9 LMT, against this stock as on today is around 195.79 LMT (more than 51%) for the upcoming Kharif 2026 season, India holds an opening stock of approximately 200.98 LMT. This represents an unprecedented advance availability of over 51%, far exceeding the traditional buffer standard of 33.
Post-Crisis Net Gain: Domestic post-crisis production stood solid at 118.15 LMT. When combined with strategic imports and successfully concluded joint global tenders, the total post-crisis fertilizer availability witnessed a net addition of 153.79 LMT.
Absolute Price Insulation for Farmers
The Modi government has kept the interests of the farmers paramount by absorbing international inflationary shocks. While geopolitical conflicts have sent global prices soaring, the retail price of fertilizers for Indian farmers has not been raised by a single paisa:
· Urea: While the global market price exceeds ₹4100 per bag, Indian farmers continue to get the 45-kg bag at a heavily subsidized rate of just ₹266.5.
· DAP: Against a global price commanding over ₹5,000 per 50-kg bag, it is being made available to Indian farmers at a mere ₹1,350.
Transition Towards Sustainable and Green Agriculture
Spurred by the Prime Minister’s vision to protect "Dharati Maa" and optimize nutrient balance, a massive nationwide mass-awareness campaign was executed from March to May. Farmers have responded with overwhelming enthusiasm:
· Combined sales of eco-friendly alternatives like Fortified Organic Manure (FOM), Liquid FOM (LFOM), and Phosphate-Rich Organic Manure (PROM) soared to seven times the volume in Financial Year 2025-26 compared to 2024-25.
· Ammonium Sulphate consumption surged by nearly 60,000 tonnes.
· Green manuring was introduced across a record 1.84 lakh hectares under the technical guidance of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
In conclusion, India’s fertilizer security remains strong, stable, and well-managed, with availability consistently exceeding requirements across all major fertilizers. Through the highly effective and strategic initiatives of the Government of India, domestic production continues to scale new heights, ensuring that the nation maintains a robust and uninterrupted reserve. This comprehensive preparedness guarantees that the critical agricultural needs of our annadatas are met seamlessly, providing them with reliable, hassle-free access to essential fertilizers at highly affordable and subsidized rates.
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