From The Economic Times · Shambhavi Anand · · 1m
Fertiliser Sales Drop as Rains Fail
Poor rains slash kharif season fertiliser sales.
In brief
Poor rains slash kharif season fertiliser sales. Urea sales fell 5.9% year-on-year as poor rains hit India's main planting season. Originally reported by The Economic Times.
Urea sales drop
Urea sales during April-August fell to 15.82 million tonnes from 16.80 million tonnes in the year-ago period.
DAP and NP/NPK sales decline
DAP sales declined to 3.38 million tonnes from 3.47 million tonnes while NP/NPK complex fertiliser sales dropped to 5.33 million tonnes from 6.61 million tonnes.
MOP sales fall
Muriate of potash (MOP) sales for direct application fell to 783,500 tonnes from 906,600 tonnes.
Rainfall deficiency impacts sales
The decline came amid rainfall deficiency and drought-like conditions in several parts of the country, which weighed on farmers' spending on soil nutrients.
Kharif sowing near normal
Overall kharif sowing remained only about 2% below last year's level despite the sales decline.
Urea imports surge
Urea imports more than doubled to 4.75 million tonnes during April-August from 2.04 million tonnes a year earlier, an increase of 133.2%.
The takeaway
Urea sales fell 5.9% year-on-year as poor rains hit India's main planting season.
