Centre floats second global tender for 70 lakh tonne urea despite surge in prices

The government has issued a second global tender to import 70 lakh tonne of urea for the kharif season, despite a sharp rise in international prices, as it moves to ensure adequate fertiliser supplies amid disruptions linked to the Middle East crisis, PTI reported.The global price of urea has jumped from $447 per tonne in February to $947 per tonne currently, Fertiliser Ministry Additional Secretary Aparna S Sharma said during an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia.The country has already secured 25 lakh tonne of urea and 50 lakh tonne of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) from sources outside the Strait of Hormuz, with shipments expected to arrive during June and July.“We have also issued a global tender for 70 lakh tonne of urea, which is in progress. …This is the second tender for the kharif season. The price in the global tender is yet to be discovered,” Sharma said.According to the ministry, domestic fertiliser production stood at 104.81 lakh tonne during the period of the West Asia crisis, while imports were 27.62 lakh tonne, taking the total addition to availability to about 132.43 lakh tonne.Factoring in the El Niño outlook, the agriculture ministry has revised fertiliser demand estimates downward after consultations with state governments.Urea demand for the 2026-27 kharif season has been estimated at 194 lakh tonne, lower by 4 lakh tonne from earlier projections. Demand for DAP has been reduced by 6 lakh tonne to 60 lakh tonne, Sharma said.The kharif sowing season has begun in parts of the country, with farmers starting field preparations and early sowing activities in regions that have received pre-monsoon rainfall.