WHY India imports so much fertilizers? | Markets by Zerodha Hindi

India spends ₹1.6 lakh crore every year importing fertilisers—more than our entire education budget. For decades, we've been promised self-reliance in 3 years, then 5 years, then 3 years again. Yet in FY 2025-26, fertiliser imports are hitting a record high of $18 billion. Why can't India become Aatmanirbhar in something as critical as fertilisers? The answer is more complex than you think. This isn't about one company or one policy failure. This is about food security, subsidy distortions, geopolitical dependencies, and the harsh reality facing 90% of India's small and marginal farmers. From urea overuse to 100% potash imports, the challenges run deep. In this video, I break down: ✅ Why India imports fertilisers despite having domestic production capacity ✅ The three main categories—Urea, DAP, and MOP—and where each dependency comes from ✅ How subsidy structures have created massive distortions (recommended NPK ratio 4:2:1, actual ratio 10.9:4:1) ✅ Government's three-pronged strategy: reduce abuse of Urea, promote alternatives, and establish basic production capacity for long-term self-sufficiency ✅ Whether these solutions can actually reduce our import bills Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Part One : Why is India not Aatmanirbhar in fertilisers? 12:12 - Part 02: How is the government tackling rising imports? 16:06 - Outro Everything You Need to Know About Natural Gas:    • Everything You Need to Know About Natural ...   Sources: Data on India's fertiliser consumption trend: https://fert.gov.in/sites/default/fil... FY 2025-26 economic survey: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/econom... Fertiliser subsidy details: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/doc/eb... Natural Gas useage data: https://ppac.gov.in/natural-gas/secto... Care rating report on DAP: https://www.careratings.com/report/so... Report by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers on self sufficiency in production of fertilisers: https://elibrary.sansad.in/server/api... Questions and Answers in Lok Sabha: https://sansad.in/ls/questions/questi... #india #agriculture #fertilizer