India’s urea imports surged sharply in FY2025-26, while DAP imports also recorded strong growth, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on overseas supplies to meet rising agricultural demand. Government data presented in Parliament showed urea imports climbed 83% year-on-year to 103.50 lakh tonnes, compared with 56.47 lakh tonnes in FY2024-25. Imports of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) increased 36% to 61.94 lakh tonnes from 45.69 lakh tonnes during the previous fiscal.
The data also revealed that domestic urea production declined to 293.26 lakh tonnes in FY2025-26 from 306.67 lakh tonnes a year earlier, contributing to higher import requirements. In contrast, DAP production rose modestly to 39.14 lakh tonnes from 37.72 lakh tonnes. Overall fertiliser production in India stood at 517.49 lakh tonnes during the fiscal year.
The figures underscore India’s continued dependence on imports to bridge the gap between domestic production and demand, particularly for key crop nutrients such as urea and DAP. The government has been pursuing long-term supply agreements with overseas producers and diversifying sourcing strategies to ensure adequate fertiliser availability for the agriculture sector amid evolving global market conditions.