India’s Fertilizer Imports Seen Jumping 76% to Record $18 Billion in FY25

The fertilizer import needs of India are forecasted to rise by 76 percent to an all-time high of 18 billion dollars during the fiscal year 2024-25, as compared to last year. Officials revealed on Wednesday that due to good monsoon rains, farmers have been motivated to increase their crop planting, which may raise fertilizer demand by at least 5 percent as compared to last year.

An official said that due to increased consumption, imports of urea and DAP (diammonium phosphate) have seen a sharp increase this year. This resulted in fertilizer imports worth $13.98 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2025-26, a 71 percent increase year-on-year. A significant amount of urea and other fertilizers is also expected to be imported in the last quarter, i.e., March, valued at at least $4 billion. India imported fertilizers worth $10.23 billion in 2024-25. A record $17.21 billion was spent in 2022-23, when global fertilizer prices rose due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Agriculture Ministry data, farmers have sown crops on 65.2 million hectares so far, a 3.3% increase from last year. P.S. Gehlot, Managing Director of Indian Potash, said that the southwest monsoon from June to September received 8% more rainfall than average. October received 49% more rainfall than normal, providing soil moisture for sowing winter crops like wheat, rapeseed, and chickpea.

S. Sankarasubramanian, Chairman of the Fertilizer Association of India, said that corn production also increased urea consumption. Urea imports are expected to increase by 61% to 9 million tonnes. DAP imports are expected to increase by 52%, reaching 7 million tonnes.

The pesticide industry has called on the government to strengthen the regulation of e-commerce websites that sell pesticide products. This is because the pesticide industry believes that simple compliance screening is not adequate and an authorization certificate is necessary in preventing pesticide counterfeits reaching the farm gates.

CropLife India stated that the government should issue regulations under the existing Insecticides Act and include clear provisions to regulate online sales in the draft Pesticides Management Bill. This is because concerns are growing about the authenticity of products and the traceability of the supply chain. Pesticides are a regulated industry, and the entire supply chain must comply with the regulatory framework. P.K. Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, stated that basic compliance checks, such as GST documents from sellers, by e-commerce platforms may not be sufficient for the online sale of hazardous agricultural inputs. Strong quality assurance and traceability are also needed.