Gas, war and the urea gap: Why its time for bold fertilizer reforms
Besides, gas is not the only chokepoint. India also imports urea as a finished product from Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar—all impacted by the ongoing war. In FY25, India imported 2.2 million tonnes of sulphur, over 80% of which came from West Asia or Gulf countries. Sulphur, a valuable by-product of crude oil refining, is used to make diammonium phosphate (DAP), another critical fertilizer. In addition, India also depends on imports of finished DAP from Saudi Arabia, which accounted for 42% of imports in FY25. These supply lines are now choked by the closure of Hormuz.
