India shifts fertilizer debate toward efficiency and bioadditives
Amid supply-chain instability, India is debating a move from import-heavy fertilizer policy toward nutrient-use efficiency and biological enhancement tools.
India’s fertilizer discussion is moving beyond short-term import volumes toward structural efficiency. The Hindu BusinessLine article argues that a food system serving about 1.4 billion people remains exposed to disruptions in routes such as the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, turning fertilizer logistics into a core food-security variable rather than a narrow input issue.
The publication cites sharp market data: fertilizer imports rose 70% over seven months to 22.3 million tonnes. Urea reportedly jumped 120%, while DAP rose 94%, with DAP touching $554 per tonne in September 2025. For producers, that combination means higher working-capital pressure and greater uncertainty when planning application schedules and crop budgets.
As the world’s largest DAP importer, India faces not only external price shocks but also an internal efficiency gap. The article points to an NPK application ratio of 10:9:4 against an ideal 4:2:1, describing a pattern that can degrade soils, increase nutrient losses through runoff and leaching, and raise subsidy burdens without proportional yield gains.
A central recommendation is to prioritize Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE). The text notes that a 10–15% NUE improvement could avoid millions of tonnes of fertilizer imports each year. It also highlights fertilizer bioadditives as a practical complement: not replacements for conventional products, but biological or biomolecular enhancers intended to improve nutrient uptake and field-level response.
Another issue raised is regulation. Bioadditives sit between traditional fertilizer and legacy biofertilizer categories, creating policy ambiguity. The article calls for a science-based regulatory path and for subsidy design to reward measurable efficiency outcomes rather than volume alone, potentially changing incentives for both farmers and input suppliers.
The broader message is that the current disruption can become a policy inflection point. Instead of relying mainly on higher imports and larger subsidies, India is being urged to combine input security with soil-health recovery and technology adoption. Given India’s weight in global fertilizer demand, such a shift would matter well beyond its domestic market.