DAP sales in September drops by 50% to less than 8 lakh tonnes

As the agriculture minister chairs the annual conference on Rabi crops on Saturday, where strategies will be chalked out with States for a bumper harvest, one important issue to grab attention may be the shortage of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), the key fertiliser used in wheat, mustard and gram, all three major winter crops.

Latest data show that sales of DAP fell to 7.76 lakh tonnes (lt) last month, which is 51 per cent lower from 15.7 lt year-ago. Monthly sales of DAP in September were reported at 11.15 lt in 2022, 5.96 lt in 2021, 7.65 lt in 2020 and 6.33 lt in 2019.

“Farmers normally buy DAP in September-October to prepare the field for the sowing. With a favourable monsoon and its delayed withdrawal as well as good moisture has created the demand for fertilisers as farmers expect a good harvest of winter crops,” said agriculture scientist A K Singh.

• Also read: India decides to ease rice export curbs further

With the reports of farmers’ protest over alleged shortages of DAP coming particularly from Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, there is something amiss as far as availability is concerned, Singh added.

“Wheat crop this year is very crucial and the government should not take any chance and ensure ample and timely availability,” Singh suggested and added that there should be study on shrivelled crop of wheat, which has been continuing for last few years and the government has been relaxing procurement norms in one state or the other.

According to the crop weather watch report, the total fertiliser sale during Kharif season 2024 (April-September) was 319.97 lt which included 189.12 lt of urea, 46.12 lt of DAP, 9.27 lt of MOP and 75.46 lt of complex (a mixture of N, P , K nutrients). The total demand for the season was estimated at 321.44 lt – 177.12 lt of urea, 59.87 lt of DAP, 10.26 lt of MOP and 74.19 lt of complex.

Singh said that it is unusual to see the fall in sales of DAP as against its projected demand whereas there is no such difference noticed in other fertilisers when sales data are compared with demand.

Official data show that sales of urea were up 3.1 per cent at 30.89 lt in September 2024 from 29.97 lt year-ago, but those of MOP were down 4.7 per cent at 2.25 lt from 2.36 lt and complex dropped by 11.6 per cent at 16.6 lt from 18.77 lt.

The Centre will discuss (on October 19) with state officials about the plan and strategies about the on-going Rabi sowing season that started from October 1, to ensure that the winter-grown foodgrains production target of 164 million tonnes (mt) including 115 mt of wheat, 13.65 mt of gram and 13.8 mt of mustard, officials said.

• Also read: Rice exports a tad lower in H1, but trade sees shipments gaining pace in year ahead as govt eases curbs