Farmers in Punjab and Other States Protest Over Reported Urea and DAP Fertiliser Shortage

Farmers across five states, including Punjab and Haryana, held protests on 8 June 2026 over what they described as inadequate supplies of urea and diammonium phosphate, known as DAP, just as the paddy sowing season began. In Punjab, demonstrations were reported at 74 locations. Farmer groups warned that protests could grow if the shortages continued into the main sowing window.

Punjab's fertiliser demand is highly seasonal. Demand for urea rises sharply during paddy cultivation between June and August, while DAP is needed most during wheat sowing in October and November. The central government releases subsidised fertiliser stocks to states in batches rather than all at once. Farmers say stocks sometimes arrive late or fall short of local demand, and because thousands try to buy within a narrow window, even small delays can cause long queues, panic buying and local shortages.

This year an additional factor is at work. India depends heavily on imports for phosphatic fertilisers and raw materials, and much of this supply chain is linked to the Gulf region, which has been affected by conflict and disruption. Gulf Cooperation Council countries supplied roughly 75 per cent of India's urea imports in 2024-25, and Saudi Arabia was the largest source of DAP. Global prices of both fertilisers have risen sharply, and government sources have indicated the fertiliser subsidy bill could nearly double from the budgeted level toward around 3.4 lakh crore rupees.

Government data presented a more comfortable picture of stocks. The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said on 8 June that the kharif 2026 fertiliser requirement had been assessed at 383.9 lakh metric tonnes nationwide, with about 197.56 lakh metric tonnes available, more than 51 per cent of the requirement and higher than the usual level of around 33 per cent at this stage. Punjab's agriculture minister said the state had received over 11 lakh metric tonnes of urea in batches and that DAP availability was adequate. Farmers separately complained that some dealers force them to buy extra products such as nano urea or other items along with each purchase of fertiliser bags.

For an aspirant, this topic connects the kharif and rabi cropping calendar, India's heavy import dependence for phosphatic fertilisers, the fertiliser subsidy mechanism, and how global supply shocks feed into domestic farm input availability. Remember that urea is the main fertiliser for paddy, the Gulf's large share in urea imports, and the gap between official stock figures and farmers' on-ground complaints.