Govt may not increase subsidy on imports of DAP, MoP in 2011-12

07 Dec 2011 Evaluate

The government for the current financial year is less likely to further increase subsidy on imported fertilizers, especially Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Muriate of Potash (MoP). The decision has come in the wake of high international prices and decline in rupee against America dollar, which increased the cost of imports.  

Despite the surge in demand for fertilizers, the ministry of fertilizer has indicated that any decision of raising the benchmark prices for DAP and MoP under the current policy would be taken after March 2012, as the ministry wants to wait and watch the situation. The ministry further expects that the global prices may come down because of decline in demand on the back of ongoing crisis in euro-zone and slowdown in United States.

In the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) policy, which was introduced in 2010, the government subsidises imported phosphatic and potassium fertilisers based on the average benchmark rate to insulate domestic firms from high global prices. The government keeps domestic rates affordable for farmers.

Under the NBS policy, in 2011-12, the government is giving a subsidy of Rs 19,763 per tonne on DAP and Rs 16,054 per tonne on MoP. In the current fiscal, the ministry has raised the benchmark price of DAP and MoP to $612 per tonne and $420 per tonne respectively.

However, industry has demanded an upward revision in the benchmark price due to increase in cost of inputs on the back of surge in international prices and fall in rupee. However, ministry is of the view that currently there is no case for hike in the benchmark price as domestic firms have already constricted DAP and MoP supplies till March 2012.

India completely depends on imports to meet the requirements of Mop, which has contracted 5.5 million tonnes in 2011-12 for a price of $470 a tonne in the second and third quarters and at $530 a tonne in the last quarter. And for DAP, India imports 90% of its DAP requirement, has contracted around 2.5 million tonnes for $677 per tonne till the fourth quarter of 2011-12. In 2010-11, India has imported around 7.41 million tonne DAP and 4.5 million tonne MoP in 2010-11.

However, international prices of fertilizers may come under pressure with the likely surge in production of DAP and MoP in China, which is the largest consumers of fertilizers. Experts are of the view that the international prices of DAP and MoP would remain weak in the medium term because of uncertainty in global economy. However, in the long term international prices of both are expected to be buoyant.   

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