For the current kharif sowing season in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has built a stockpile of fertilisers estimated at 4.8 million tonnes (MT).
The primary kharif crops include paddy, maize, millets, pulses etc, which feed the state’s agrarian economy and fuel the socioeconomic growth.
The main fertilisers used in kharif sowing include urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP), Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (NPK) etc.
UP agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi claimed the state has arranged adequate stocks of urea and other fertilisers for the kharif season.
The aggregate fertiliser requirement in UP during the kharif season is estimated at 5.7 MT. As such, the current inventory of nearly 4.8 MT translates to 84 percent of the requisite stock.
The gap would be fulfilled with supplies in the coming weeks by the central government agencies.
Of the current stock of 4.8 MT, urea tops the tally with 3.8 MT followed by DAP 683,000 tonnes; NPK 365,000 tonnes etc.
The paddy and maize crops primarily need DAP and NPK soil nutrients, while urea is used extensively for ‘top dressing’ of the kharif crops during their growth.
India imports four types of fertilisers viz. urea, DAP, muriate of potash (MOP) and NPK. Moreover, the country subsidises potash to make it affordable for farmers.
India is among the largest importers of potash, and depends on imports for its annual consumption of nearly 5 MT of potash, of which a third is shipped from Belarus and Russia.