Kochi (Kerala), March 8 India currently has sufficient fertilizer availability, but the prolonged conflict in West Asia could pose problems, said a top official of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT), the largest supplier to South Indian states.
FACT, a public sector company, relies on raw materials such as rock phosphate and phosphoric acid, which are exported from several countries in West Asia and the Middle East, and these are brought via sea route.
According to analysts, the prolonged conflict could cause significant damage to the global economy.
Currently, there is no harvest season in India; it will begin after July, said FACT's Managing Director S Sakthimani, based in Kochi, when asked about the potential impact of the current global situation on fertilizer production in the country.
"We have sufficient urea available. We hope that the situation (the war) will probably be resolved within a month. We have sufficient urea available for our Kharif season. We will not have any problems," he said.
"But, if the situation continues for the next six months, problems may arise. It could cause problems in the next crop season, that is the Rabi season, and appropriate steps are being taken to address it," he added.
India has two main cropping seasons - Kharif and Rabi. Kharif crops are sown with the onset of the monsoon in June–July and harvested around September–October, while Rabi crops are planted in October–November and harvested by April–May. Urea is widely used across the country to boost yields in both seasons.
Sakthimani said that companies like FACT not only source gas from the Middle East, but also from Australia.
"There are no problems with the gas line in that area right now. There is instability in some places, but that is not a problem for the fertilizer sector," he said.
The central government has procured stocks of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and double super phosphate (DSP) from (various) companies, and this will not cause any problems, the official pointed out.
FACT will ensure to fulfill every fertilizer requirement of the farmers, he said.
"We will supply. It is our duty and we will do it," the official added.
Agriculture and allied sectors are one of the largest sources of income in India and depend heavily on the fertilizer industry.
Referring to the global situation, Sakthimani said, "This is a temporary phase. There is no need to panic. With the support of the government, we will be in a position to supply whatever farmers need."
Another senior official of FACT said the company currently has a total fertilizer stock of approximately 1.4 lakh metric tons.
FACT currently has sufficient raw material reserves to produce 1.5 lakh metric tons of fertilizers between March and April 2026, he said.
Provided there are no further disruptions in the supply chain, FACT is striving to ensure an uninterrupted fertilizer supply beyond April 2026 to meet the requirements of the 2026-27 Kharif season, the official said.
FACT aims to produce approximately 5.5 lakh metric tons of fertilizers for the Kharif season by September 2026 and 1 lakh metric tons as imports, he said.
The company, established in 1943, receives raw materials through shipments and stores them in bulk warehouses and tanks.