Boosting India’s Kharif Supply: Four Fertilizer Ships Pass Safely Through Strait of Hormuz After US-Iran Peace Deal | Today’s news
Four consignments of key fertilizers including urea, ammonium phosphate (DAP) and sulfur have safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz and are currently on their way to India, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said on Monday.
This comes after the United States and Iran signed a 14-point interim memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end ongoing hostilities and set a 60-day negotiating window for a final peace settlement.
The shipments are expected to arrive at Krishnapatnam, Kakinada, Paradip and Mundra ports. Once unloaded, the stocks will help bolster the country’s fertilizer stocks and support agricultural demand during the ongoing Kharif sowing season, according to PTI.
According to the ministry, India’s fertilizer production reached 133.12 million tonnes as of March 1, while imports during the same period reached 43.69 million tonnes.
The government has also secured an additional 17.70 million tonnes of urea through a recent international procurement process. With this purchase, the total volume of urea and phosphate and potassium (P&K) fertilizers arranged for the Kharif season now exceeds 90 million tonnes, the ministry said.
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India has secured imports of urea from a diverse group of countries, including Oman, Malaysia, Vietnam, Georgia, Nigeria, Russia, Finland, Egypt, Algeria, Turkey and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, shipments of DAP and NPK fertilizers are being transported across the Red Sea from suppliers in Russia, Morocco, Egypt, the United States, Jordan, South Korea, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said total fertilizer stocks stood at 196.08,080,000 tonnes as of June 22, compared to 168.67,000,000 tonnes in the same period last year. Urea stocks rose to 81.44 million tonnes from 69.21 million tonnes, while DAP stocks rose to 20.92 million tonnes from 16 million tonnes. Stocks of NPK fertilizers also rose to 55.91 million tonnes compared to 46.13 million tonnes a year earlier.
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Muriate of Potash (MoP) stocks rose to 12.68 million tonnes from 10.68 million tonnes in the same period last year. In contrast, Single Super Phosphate (SSP) stocks declined slightly to 25.13 million tonnes from 26.65 million tonnes.
Fertilizer consumption remained strong, with total sales as of March 1 of 153.4 million tons, surpassing the 140.2 million tons recorded in the same period last year. Of the total sales, urea accounted for 79.1 million tons, followed by NPK fertilizers with 34.8 million tons and DAP with 19.8 million tons.
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The ministry said it is maintaining close coordination with state departments, fertilizer distributors and cooperative organizations to ensure uninterrupted availability of fertilizers and ensure adequate supply management across the country.
Line of communication to avoid the Hormuz incidents
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran will establish a direct line of communication to secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to de-conflict maritime tensions in the Middle East, according to a joint statement by Pakistani and Qatari mediators on Monday after the first round of talks in Switzerland. Its aim is to prevent military incidents and miscommunication on the strategic waterway.
Iran effectively shut down traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following military strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28, a move that sent global fuel prices soaring. Under an interim agreement designed to end the conflict, the strategic waterway was expected to resume normal operations.
While a number of ships successfully passed through the strait over the weekend, key sections of the main shipping corridor remain closed due to the presence of sea mines, limiting a full return to normal maritime traffic.
(With agency input)
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