Key fertiliser supplies face Chinese curbs

Chinese supply curbs and global supply chain disruptions have dragged down the production and imports of key fertilizers, casting a cloud over India's crop yields and farmer incomes.

- Dhirendra Kumar

Production of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fell 7.3% in the April-October period while imports plunged nearly 30%, showed data from the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), which represents fertilizer makers, importers and distributors. DAP is widely used in farming wheat, pulses and mustard, popular winter (rabi) crops.

The agriculture sector is India's largest employer, and poor yields resulting from insufficient soil nutrients could have an adverse impact on rural incomes and the wider economy.

"Due to disturbances in the global supply chain, we are not receiving enough raw materials required to manufacture fertilizers. Additionally, we are not getting sufficient raw materials from China, as it has stopped exporting key inputs, citing an uptick in its own domestic demand," FAI chairman N. Suresh Krishnan said.