House panel flags fertilizer shortage, calls for proper mechanism to address it
Centre’s responses to scarcity created by West Asia war were largely reactive, parliamentary panel says; it calls for a permanent joint fertilizer command and monitoring cell, to provide ‘continuous, real-time coordination’ on supply of fertilizers during every cropping season
The Parliament Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers has called on the Union government to establish a permanent joint fertilizer command and monitoring cell. This committee would comprise the Department of Fertilizers, the Department of Agriculture, the Railways, and the State governments, with the aim of providing "continuous, real-time coordination" on the supply of fertilizers during every cropping season.
The committee's report, tabled on August 6, 2026, also criticized the government's reactive interventions to ensure adequate fertilizer supply during the ongoing war in West Asia, noting that these lacked a pre-existing institutionalised contingency framework. Additionally, the committee highlighted the Centre's limited role to State-level availability, with last-mile distribution treated solely as a State responsibility, which it deemed insufficient in addressing recurring supply bottlenecks.
The panel also expressed concerns over the underperformance of new generation urea plants, recommending robust performance guarantees and warranty obligations for future technology transfer and engineering contracts for fertilizer public sector undertakings. Furthermore, the committee called for an institutionalised contingency framework to prepare for disruptions such as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which led to a decline in domestic urea production due to gas curtailment, shipment delays, and increased freight and insurance costs.
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