समाचार Samāchār · Business · 12 November 2026

Rabi fertiliser subsidy rises 64% to ₹62,370 crore. Imported inputs are writing the bill

The Union Cabinet approved nutrient-based subsidy rates for phosphatic and potassic fertilisers for October to March. The government points to world prices of urea, DAP, potash and sulphur.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved ₹62,370 crore to subsidise phosphatic and potassic fertilisers for the Rabi 2026-27 season. That is ₹24,418 crore more than last Rabi’s ₹37,952 crore. A 64% rise in one season. The rates run from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Wheat, mustard and gram are being sown on them now.

The cause sits outside India. The government tied the increase to recent trends in international prices of fertilisers and their inputs: urea, DAP, muriate of potash and sulphur, Business Standard reported. The Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme has run since April 2010. It covers 28 grades of P&K fertilisers, including DAP and NPK blends. The same Cabinet meeting cleared items worth ₹77,101 crore in all, and this subsidy is most of it.

It follows Kharif. In April the Cabinet approved ₹41,534 crore for Kharif 2026, a 12% rise, and held retail DAP at ₹1,350 for a 50 kg bag, PTI reported. The two seasons together come to about ₹1.04 lakh crore for P&K alone this year.

Protecting the farmer at sowing is the right call. A shortage in November costs far more in lost harvest than the subsidy costs the budget. But the number carries a lesson. When a bill rises 64% on prices set in other countries, the exposure is the problem. A budget line that swings by ₹24,000 crore in a season is one India does not control.

The fix is the same as in energy and electronics. Spread the trade risk across more suppliers and long-term contracts. Build more nutrient capacity at home. Make every bag count through soil testing and precise use. Fiscal discipline and farm security point the same way here.

What a founder takes from it: The state will cushion the farmer at sowing. The gap it exposes is domestic nutrient capacity and tools that cut waste per acre. Founders in agri-inputs and farm data are building in the national interest.