Himachal Pradesh Urea Consignment Kharif Paddy Season Fertiliser

Himachal Pradesh has received a fresh consignment of approximately 2,790 tonnes of subsidised urea ahead of the crucial kharif season, providing much-needed relief to the farmers and their concerns over the shortage of urea fertiliser.

The agriculture department said two railway rakes carrying 1,395 tonnes of urea fertiliser each arrived on Tuesday from the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Bathinda, Punjab. One of the rakes was unloaded at Hoshiarpur, while the other reached Chandigarh, the department officials said.

The Government of India (GoI) has authorised the NFL for the supply and distribution of urea in the state.

The fertiliser will now be distributed through agriculture centres and cooperative societies across Himachal Pradesh. The cooperative agencies, including the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers Federation (HIMFED), will be responsible for the distribution.

Ravinder Singh Jasrotia, Director of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, told The Indian Express, “The state has approximately 10 lakh farmers. Of these, nearly two lakh farmers have adopted natural farming practices and therefore do not rely on chemical fertilisers such as urea. Some societies are registered with HIMFED, while others are affiliated with IFFCO. The fertiliser will be distributed through these networks to reach farmers across the state.”

However, sources in the agriculture department cautioned that despite the consignment’s arrival, uncertainty remains whether the available stock will be sufficient to meet rising demand during the upcoming paddy transplantation season, when fertiliser consumption traditionally peaks.

Urea demand is particularly high in the state’s plains and lower hill regions.

Districts such as Una, Kangra and Hamirpur, along with several areas of Bilaspur, the Paonta Sahib region of Sirmaur, and industrial-agricultural belts including Nalagarh and Baddi in Solan, require significantly larger quantities of urea than the higher-altitude regions of the state.

Sources said that approximately 61,380 bags of urea have been allocated to various districts of Himachal.

The consignment was divided between two distribution points to facilitate faster transportation and supply. The 1,395-tonne stock unloaded at Hoshiarpur will be supplied to Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba and Mandi. The remaining 1,395 tonnes received at Chandigarh will be distributed among Shimla, Lahaul and Spiti, Bilaspur, Solan, Kullu and Sirmaur districts.

Apart from urea, the availability of NPK 12:32:16 fertiliser has emerged as another major concern in the state. The fertiliser, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in balanced proportions, is widely used as a mixed fertiliser for a variety of crops and is also supplied under the subsidy regime.