Export halt by China causing fertilizer shortage in India : IFFCO Chairman Sanghani

GANDHINAGAR : Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) Chairman Dilip Sanghani addressed the shortage of liquid fertilizer and stated that China’s halt on fertilizer exports has contributed to the crisis.

Talking to the media, Sanghani said, “50% of the fertilizer is manufactured by Indian companies in the country, while 50% is imported. Among the imported fertilizers, a large part comes from China. This year, China has changed its agricultural policy and has completely stopped the export of fertilizer. Therefore, with the increase in the price of raw materials, private companies are importing less, leading to a shortage as supply is unable to meet demand. China’s monopoly in several areas, where it has stopped the export of fertilizer, has contributed to the shortage.”

It is noteworthy that there have been several reports regarding farmers queuing outside the market yard depots to collect urea fertilizer since the beginning of the sowing season for Rabi crops. Last week, farmers had to stand in long lines at the Farmer Assistance Center at Vadhvan Marketing Yard to obtain urea fertilizer.

Currently, farmers have already sown crops such as cumin, chickpeas, wheat, and mustard. At this critical time, when urea fertilizer is essential, the insufficient supply has sparked anger among the farmers. Farmers mentioned that only six bags of urea fertilizer are being provided, causing them significant hardship. Therefore, farmers are demanding that the authorities ensure an adequate supply of urea fertilizer.