The government today assured that despite the conflict in West Asia, the country has sufficient fertilizer stocks. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia in New Delhi, Additional Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers, Aparna Sharma, informed that the country's urea production units are currently operating at 80% capacity. She stated that during the Kharif season, the country requires 390 tonnes of fertilizers. She mentioned that efforts are being made to diversify the sourcing basis beyond the Gulf countries. She highlighted that the Gulf region, which is crucial for the import of fertilizers and the domestic production of urea, has initially been affected, but the country has adequate stocks available for the Kharif season. She informed that April and May are lean months for agriculture, and we typically use this period to build up our reserves. She added that with this in mind, we had already arranged for significant imports.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma, said that there is adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG, and PNG in the country. She stated that the government has taken several measures to ensure this at multiple levels and continues to do so. She said that the country's refineries are operating normally, and crude oil inventories are sufficient. The Joint Secretary said that to ensure adequate availability in the domestic market and to prevent prices from rising, the government has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by 10 rupees.