16 India-bound fertiliser ships stranded in Strait of Hormuz: Govt

New Delhi: Sixteen India-bound ships carrying fertiliser are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, said Bandana Preyashi, a joint secretary in the fertilisers ‌ministry.

Eight ⁠ships ⁠carrying 330,00 metric tons of urea, ​four ships loaded with 257,000 tons of di-ammonium ​phosphate, one vessel with ammonia, and three ships with 110,000 tons ​of sulfur are in ⁠the Strait ‌of Hormuz, Preyashi ​said ​at a press conference.

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To meet ⁠the local demand for the summer ​crop season, India has already ​imported 5 million tons of crop nutrients, including urea, apart from boosting local output, she said.

India has also floated a ‌global tender to import 1.7 million tons of urea.

"At ​present, we ​see no ⁠major challenge to the availability of fertilisers in the current sowing season," she ​said, adding the nation is expected to consume 38.39 million tons of fertilisers during the current harvest season.