Government considering subsidy cut on urea this fiscal

05 Apr 2012 Evaluate

In an attempt to curb its rising fiscal deficit, the government is considering cutting the subsidies on urea by a minimum of 10% in this fiscal. If it goes through, urea prices will go up from Rs 5,310 per tonne to Rs 5,841 per tone and will help the government to reduce its annual subsidy burden by around Rs 2,000 crore.

Though the final call on this issue will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the move is in line with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's intent of bringing down central subsidies to 1.75% during the next 3 years. In 2011-12, urea is estimated to have contributed Rs 24,500 crore to the fertiliser subsidy bill.

Two months ago, the government had cut the subsidy on phosphate and potash based fertilisers by up to 30%. This made urea the cheapest fertilizer available and led to its indiscriminate use. The cut in subsidy is also expected to promote a balanced fertilizer use. 

Last year, a panel of ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had approved a draft urea policy that proposed partial freeing of retail prices and allowing companies to hike urea rates by 10% in the first year of the policy implementation. Also the Committee of Secretaries headed by Planning Commission Member Soumitra Chaudhury had proposed complete deregulation of the urea sector. However, the proposal was not accepted by the ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Fertiliser.

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×