India Receives Urea Offers As Low As $444.90 Per Ton In 1.7 Million Ton Tender

India’s latest urea tender brought cheaper offers, giving short-term relief to imports while LNG costs and subsidy pressure still worry policymakers.

Key Highlights
 

• National Fertilizers Ltd. received urea offers from $444.90 to $617 per ton for a 1.7 million ton tender.
   
• In April 2026, India paid $935 to $959 per ton after the Iran war tightened fertiliser supply.
   
• June offers ranged from $444.90 to $617 per ton, sharply lower than April’s $935 to $959 per ton range.
   
• West Coast and East Coast offers stood at 3.1 million tons each, higher than the tender targets of 900,000 tons and 800,000 tons.
   
• India’s kharif fertiliser need is 38.4 million tons, while the current stock stands at 19.8 million tons, making timely imports important before peak demand.

What Happened In India’s Latest Urea Tender?

India received urea offers as low as $444.90 per ton in a 1.7 million ton tender floated by National Fertilizers Ltd, ThePrint⁠ reported on June 11, 2026, citing Bloomberg. NDTV Profit⁠ also reported the same Bloomberg story on June 11, 2026.

The news affects India because urea is a key fertiliser for paddy, corn, and soybean crops during the June to September monsoon season. Cheaper offers may help the government control import costs. The risk is that domestic urea plants still depend on LNG, and ThePrint reported spot LNG near $18 to $19 per million BTU against nearly $13 under long-term contracts.

How Will This Affect Indian Farmers and Families?

Farmers may not see a direct price cut at shops because urea is already sold at subsidised prices. The bigger benefit is supply. If imports arrive on time, farmers get fertiliser during the main sowing window without panic buying.

The latest tender received more interest than the target. West Coast offers stood near 3.1 million tons against a 900,000-ton target. The East Coast also stood near 3.1 million tons against an 800,000-ton target.

This can also help food inflation indirectly. If fertiliser reaches farmers on schedule, crop input pressure reduces. But if LNG prices stay high or shipping disruption returns, the lower tender offers may not give lasting relief.

What Do Experts Say About Fertiliser Costs?

A senior fertiliser ministry official told Reuters⁠ on June 9, 2026, that the department had asked for doubling the fertiliser subsidy barely 3 months into the financial year. The Times of India⁠ reported the request at ₹3.42 lakh crore against the current ₹1.71 lakh crore FY27 allocation.

The solution is wider sourcing and stronger domestic output. Aparna Sharma, additional secretary in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, told Reuters⁠ on March 30, 2026, that India had adequate stocks and was tapping alternative suppliers.