Farmers across Haryana have been struggling to obtain urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilisers in recent days, even as the BJP-led state government has continued to claim that there was no shortage of fertilisers.
However, many farmers seem to have joined long queues, braving heavy rains in their bid to secure fertilisers. In Charkhi Dadri district, for instance, police were deployed to ensure orderly distribution amid growing tensions on Monday. Protests have already erupted at several locations across the state.
With over two-thirds of Haryana’s population directly or indirectly reliant on agriculture, the issue has taken centre stage in state politics. The Opposition has seized on the crisis, attacking the government for what it calls a failure to ensure uninterrupted fertiliser supply.
As the second-largest contributor to India’s Central foodgrain pool, Haryana — often referred to as the “bread basket of India” along with Punjab — finds itself in the middle of a agricultural row and a political showdown.
Why is there a crisis?
Haryana officials cite two main reasons behind the current panic over a shortage of fertilisers. The first is the advance sowing of paddy prompted by early monsoon rains in the region. The second is the announcement by the state government that the fertiliser distribution would soon be restricted to farmers registered on the government’s ‘Meri Fasal-Mera Byora’ portal, detailing crops sown on their land.
Officials believe this shift has triggered anxiety among farmers, many of whom fear they might be left out of the fertiliser supply system. As one official noted, “Even those farmers who don’t need urea and DAP immediately have rushed to procure them, creating panic across farming communities.”
In part, the panic has also been rooted in previous years’ fertiliser shortfalls.
What is the current demand-supply situation?
Government figures show that of the 10.07 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of urea allocated for this season, 5.8 lakh MT has already arrived in the state. Combined with the earlier stock of 2.7 lakh MT, total availability is 8.5 lakh MT, with 7.5 lakh MT already sold. “Farmers only need 5.91 lakh MT of urea from April 1 to July 19,” an official claimed.
Regarding DAP fertilisers, officials said that 1.46 lakh MT had landed in Haryana against an allocation of 2.83 lakh MT, with 1.1 lakh MT sold and 36,000 MT currently in stock. An additional 5,467 MT is in transit. Farmers needed 1.37 lakh MT for the April-July period, according to the officials.
What do farmer leaders say?
Farmer leaders, however, argue this crisis is “real and urgent”.
Rakesh Bains, a Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader from Kurukshetra, said, “The farmers immediately need urea for their crop of paddy but they want to take DAP too to meet their future needs.”
Tejveer Singh of the BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) said, “Farmers in rural areas are struggling more to obtain fertilisers than those living near towns.”
On July 17, angry protesters allegedly held an agriculture department official hostage in Pehowa and blocked the Hisar-Chandigarh highway.
What is the Opposition’s stance?
Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and INLD chief Abhay Singh Chautala accused the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government of “failing” to maintain uninterrupted fertiliser supply.
Deepender Singh Hooda, the Congress’s Rohtak MP, said, “With the kharif season’s planting in full swing, farmers are deeply worried about saving their crops due to the unavailability of fertilisers. Even women and children from farmers’ families are forced to wait in long queues through the night for several days — yet they still don’t receive sufficient quantities of DAP and urea.”
What is the government’s response?
State Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana held a video-conference meeting with senior officials Tuesday to assess the fertiliser situation in Haryana.
Rana reiterated that there was no shortage of fertilisers in any district and assured that the supply was being managed according to the demand.
Rana said the government has intensified its vigilance and enforcement efforts to curb black marketing, hoarding, adulteration, and illegal tagging (a practice that often forces farmers to buy substandard products) of fertilisers.
As part of these measures, 1,974 inspections have recently been conducted across Haryana. The crackdown has resulted in the registration of eight FIRs, suspension of 26 dealer licences, revocation of one licence, and issuance of 96 show-cause notices.
The minister also appealed to farmers to purchase fertilisers based strictly on the immediate requirements of the kharif season. He urged them to refrain from stockpiling fertilisers for the Rabi season in advance, cautioning that such practices could lead to unnecessary shortages and disrupt equitable distribution.
What is Centre’s role?
Amid a DAP fertiliser crisis last year, the Centre in November 2024 allocated 1.1 lakh MT of DAP to farmers in Haryana. At the time, the Saini government said it had been in touch with Union Chemical and Fertilisers Minister J P Nadda to ensure timely supply of the allocated fertiliser. Then too, the state government had said there was no fertiliser shortage.
Haryana had faced fertiliser shortages under the previous Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government too. In 2021, for instance, a spike in global prices had hurt India’s import capacity.
Since last year, the Centre has sought to discourage farmers from applying too much urea and DAP as a key policy goal. In recent years, global disruptions like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have led to shocks in the supply of fertiliser in India, which is heavily dependent on its imports. The rupee’s depreciation has also had a negative impact on imports.
