Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday denied a shortage of fertilisers in the country and said that India will soon become self-reliant in the sector and by 2025, the country with have self-sufficient urea production.
Speaking to ANI, Mandaviya said that around 3.25-3.50 lakh metric tons of urea consumption is estimated in the country annually and in the Kharif season, an estimate of 1.80 lakh metric tons of urea is expected to be required.
“1.50 lakh metric ton of urea will be produced for the Kharif season. The remaining 30 lakh metric ton of urea has already been arranged from different countries. I want to tell the farmers that there is no shortage of urea, DAP, and other fertilisers in India, despite the unprecedented global shortage of fertilisers,” the Union Minister said.
He further added that the Centre is promoting organic farming, the direct benefit of which would reduce 20 lakh metric tons of fertiliser consumption in the country.
An official of the Chemical and Fertilizer Ministry inform ANI that recently, a high-level delegation led by Mandaviya visited Jordan from May 13-15 for enhancing cooperation in the fertilizer sector.
This important visit came in the backdrop of the ongoing global fertilizer crisis, with a clear objective of securing fertilizers and raw materials both for the short and long term.
In the meeting held at Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) headquarters, India and JPMC signed memorandums of understanding for supplies of 30 lakh metric tons of rock phosphate, 2.50 lakh metric tons DAP, 1 lakh metric tons phosphoric acid for the current year, and the next five years with the Indian public cooperative and private sector companies.
“The discussions were held with the Minister of Investment Jordan, Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) as well as Arab Potash Company (APC) for enhancing the cooperation in the fertilizer sector. The Minister during these meetings mentioned that Jordan is India’s preferred partner for fertilizer sector,” a Ministry said in a press release.