Parliament Question: Urea import dependency

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3546 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 24.03.2026 Urea import dependency 3546: SHRI SAKET GOKHALE: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether Government had stated in April 2024 that India would stop importing urea by end of 2025; (b) whether urea imports rose 120 per cent year-on-year during April-November, 2026, with domestic output declining 3.7 per cent, directly contradicting the self- sufficiency claim; (c) the details of India's actual import dependency for urea, DAP and MOP for the last three years; and (d) the specific reasons for the failure to achieve urea self-sufficiency despite the commissioning of six new plants adding 76.2 LMT capacity? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL) (a) to (d) With regard to Urea, the Government had announced New Investment Policy (NIP) – 2012 on 2nd January, 2013 and its amendment on 7th October, 2014 to facilitate fresh investment in the urea sector and to make India self-sufficient in the urea sector. Total 6 new urea units have been set up under NIP-2012 which includes 4 urea units set up through Joint Venture Companies (JVC) of nominated PSUs and 2 urea units set up by the private companies. The units set up through JVC are Ramagundam urea unit of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (RFCL) in Telangana and 3 urea units namely Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, respectively. The units set up by private companies are Panagarh urea unit of Matix Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (Matix) in West Bengal; and Gadepan-III urea unit of Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (CFCL) in Rajasthan. Each of these units has installed capacity of 12.7 Lakh Metric Tonne per annum (LMTPA). These units are highly energy efficient as they are based on latest technology. Therefore, these units have together added urea production capacity of 76.2 LMTPA, thereby total indigenous urea production capacity (Reassessed Capacity, RAC) has increased from 207.54 LMTPA during 2014-15 to 283.74 LMTPA during 2023-24. Further, an exclusive policy for the revival of Talcher unit of FCIL through JVC ofnominated PSUs namely Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL) by setting up a new Greenfield Urea plant of 12.7 LMTPA at coal gasification route has also been approved. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for setting up of a new Brownfield Ammonia- Urea Complex of 12.7 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) annual capacity of Urea production within the existing premises of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup, Assam namely Assam Valley Fertilizer and Chemical Company Ltd. (AVFCCL). In addition, the Government also notified the New Urea Policy (NUP) – 2015 on 25th May, 2015 for the existing 25 gas-based urea units with one of the objectives of maximizing indigenous urea production beyond RAC. The NUP-2015 has led to additional production of urea by 20-25 LMT as compared to the production during 2014-15 annually. Above steps together have facilitated increase of Urea production from level of 225 LMT per annum during 2014-15 to a record Urea Production at 314.07 LMT during 2023-24. During 2024-25, 306.67 LMT of Urea was produced in the country. Further, before the commencement of each cropping season, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), in consultation with all the State Governments, assesses the State-wise & month-wise requirement of fertilizers. The requirement of fertilizers is assessed taking into account the projected gross cropped area, irrigated area, last three seasons’ consumption pattern and crop wise recommended dose of fertilizers as per soil Health fertility status etc. Based on requirement projected by DA&FW, D/o Fertilizers allocates adequate quantities of fertilizers to States by issuing monthly supply plan and continuously monitors the availability. Further, the gap between requirement and indigenous production is met through imports, well in advance, to ensure adequate and timely availability of fertilizers across the States. In view of above, the information regarding imports of Urea, DAP and MOP in the country for the last three years is as under: IMPORTS OF FERTILIZERS DURING 2022-23 to 2024-25 Fig. in LMT Urea DAP MOP S.No YEAR Imports Imports Imports 1 2022-23 75.8 65.83 18.66 2 2023-24 70.42 55.67 28.69 3 2024-25 56.47 45.69 35.41 Further, the information regarding production and imports of Urea during the period April – November 2025 and that of in 2024 is as under: PRODUCTION & IMPORTS OF FERTILIZERS DURING APRIL TO NOVEMBER 2024 & 2025 Fig. in LMT YEAR UREA S.No. Production Imports 1 APRIL TO NOVEMBER 2024 205.21 32.55 2 APRIL TO NOVEMBER 2025 197.61 71.71 *******