New Delhi, April 8 The government approved a subsidy of ₹41,534 crore for phosphatic and potassium (P&K) fertilizers for the upcoming 2025-26 kharif season, up by 12 per cent from the previous year.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the subsidy rates, effective from April 1 to September 30, 2026.
The kharif (summer) crop planting season begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June.
"The subsidy has been increased by ₹4,317 crore over the 2025 kharif season," I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.
For the 2026 kharif season, the government has fixed the subsidy rate for nitrogen at ₹47.32 per kg, phosphate at ₹52.76/kg, potash at ₹2.38/kg, and sulphur at ₹3.16/kg.
The subsidy rate for nitrogen, phosphate, and sulphur fertilizers has been increased for the 2026 kharif season, while the subsidy rate for potash remains unchanged from the 2025 rabi season.
For the recently concluded rabi season, the subsidy rate for nitrogen was ₹43.02/kg, phosphate at ₹47.96/kg, potash at ₹2.38/kg, and sulphur at ₹2.87/kg.
The subsidy on P&K fertilizers is governed by the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme, effective from April 2010. Subsidy is provided for 28 grades of P&K fertilizers.
Retail prices of non-urea fertilizers such as Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP), and Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash (NPK) are decontrolled and determined by manufacturers, while the Centre provides them with fixed subsidies each year.
The budgetary allocation for the NBS and urea subsidy scheme for FY 2026-27 (which covers the 2026 kharif and 2026-27 rabi seasons) is approximately ₹1,70,799 crore.