Fertiliser vessels stuck at ports, raise supply fears for peak kharif sowing

Several fertiliser vessels are stranded at Indian ports as congestion is hindering unloading and dispatch of crop nutrients, raising concerns over timely supplies during the peak kharif sowing season which has gathered pace after rainfall revival in early July.

"Sowing has picked up over the past week, and any delay in fertiliser dispatch could disrupt distribution," said a senior executive at a fertiliser company. "DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) needs to be applied at the time of sowing."

The executive said a vessel carrying around 60,000 tonnes of DAP/NPK and another with 7,000 tonnes of urea have been waiting for berth at Kandla Port since arriving on July 14.

"We are losing valuable time needed for timely distribution of key fertilisers," said another executive at a large fertiliser company. He attributed the delays to port congestion, limited availability of railway rakes, and supply chain disruptions triggered by the West Asia crisis.

Major ports, including Kandla, Mundra, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), and Chennai, are facing congestion as geopolitical tensions are forcing rerouting of vessels, while monsoon-related disruptions, heavy hinterland traffic and trailer shortages have further slowed cargo movement.

The delays come at a critical time. With rainfall improving in the first half of July, kharif sowing has accelerated sharply. The area sown reached nearly 60% of the normal level by July 17, up from 48% on July 10, and 32% on July 5. Although the sown area remains about 6% lower than a year ago, the improvement has raised hopes of a recovery after an erratic start to the monsoon.

"We must not allow inland logistics bottlenecks to worsen an already challenging situation," said a third industry executive.

The supply chain disruptions began after the outbreak of the Iran war severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest commodity shipping routes. West Asia is India's largest source of fertilisers and key raw materials such as ammonia and sulphur, making the route critical for fertiliser imports ahead of the kharif season.

The disruption also affected liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, slowing domestic urea production during March and April, when India typically builds inventories before the monsoon. To prevent shortages, the government secured additional LNG supplies and floated three global urea tenders.

Although vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz briefly resumed following a US-Iran ceasefire announcement, fresh disruptions have again clouded cargo movement.

Industry executives said urea supplies remain comfortable for the ongoing kharif season. However, DAP availability remains tight due to constrained global supplies of ammonia and sulphur, with phosphatic fertilisers expected to remain under pressure until supply chains in West Asia stabilise.