While there has been a surge in sales of all other fertilizers, over 20 per cent drop in sales of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) has been noticed during April-August of the current fiscal. This has surprised many as there have been reports of shortages of the phosphatic fertilizers in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh ahead of the rabi sowing season.

The Fertilizer Ministry, which two years ago withheld demand-supply information from the public domain citing shortage as the reason, has not been able to clarify the reasons for the shortage this year. However, experts are pointing to lower import.

According to official data, sales of DAP in the first five months of the current fiscal were 38.36 lakh tonnes(lt), down from 48.26 lt a year ago. Even the Agriculture Ministry’s assessment pegged the demand at 50.52 lt for this period in 2024-25.

On the other hand, import of DAP dropped by a half to 15.88 lt from 31.05 lt in the corresponding period of 2023-24. Not only DAP, import of all other fertilizers also declined and the fall was in the range of 4-23 per cent.

‘Wrong policy’

“The shortage of DAP is more due to the wrong policy of the Centre than any other issues. The fertilizer companies are being forced to resort to tagging other products such as pesticides, fungicides and micronutrients with DAP and as a result distributors are reluctant to lift sufficient quantities. Some of the distributors who are reluctantly accepting the tagged materials are trying to do the same with farmers, asking them to buy other products along with DAP,” said Kedar Sirohi, head of farmer cell in Madhya Pradesh Congress.

He said major wheat sowing period in MP is October-November and this year neither DAP nor complex fertilizer is available in ample measure, he alleged. He said farmers are buying DAP at ₹1,700/bag of 50 kg whereas its MRP is ₹1,350/bag.

The demand for DAP is estimated to be 3 lt in October in MP, whereas the availability is not even 2 lt, Sirohi said, adding that both wheat and mustard require it.

The Punjab government is also concerned about DAP shortage and has been asking the Centre to send adequate quantity. While wheat sowing in Punjab starts in first week of November, potato planting begins around mid-October and farmers start buying DAP in October.

Govt hiking supply

State officials said out of 8.5 lt of DAP used annually, as high as 5.5 lt get utilised in the rabi season alone and this year there is a 3.5 lt shortage. However, sources in Union Agriculture Ministry said the shortage in the monthly demand is not that huge and the government has been trying to increase supply both in October and November.

Meanwhile, the overall sales (consumption) of key fertilizers – urea, DAP, MOP and complex – increased 3.7 per cent to 262.47 lt from 253.06 lt, whereas the demand was estimated at 270.86 lt for the April-August period. Sales of urea were 2.8 per cent higher at 158.23 lt against 153.98 lt a year ago, while those of MOP rose 31 per cent to 7.02 lt against 5.36 lt and complex increased by 29.5 per cent to 58.86 lt from 45.46 lt a year ago.

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