How a war 4,000km afar is fuelling a farm fire in Haryana

A group of farmers in Haryana’s Sirsa blocked a city road, creating a long traffic jam on Sunday. They were demanding that they be provided with di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), a fertiliser crucial for sowing of Rabi crops like wheat and mustard. The shortage of fertiliser supply that has hit Haryana villages is because our interconnected world is a global village. A war 4,000 km away is one of the key reasons that is choking fertiliser supply to farmers in India.
Last week, several districts in Haryana saw long queues of farmers at fertiliser distribution centres, with police being deployed to control any untoward situation. Congress MP Kumari Selja claimed that police lathicharged a group of farmers.
As the Rabi season commences in India, farmers in Haryana, and states like Punjab, are grappling with a severe crisis that has its roots in the ongoing war in Eastern Europe and West Asia, particularly the Red Sea region.
The year-long war between Israel and Hamas has severely disrupted the global supply chain of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, leading to a significant shortage in India.
India, which primarily depends on imports for this essential fertiliser, is now facing an acute shortfall.
Here’s a look at how the geopolitical turmoil and bloodbath, thousands of kilometres away, has resulted in a shortage of DAP and farming woes.
While an estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel, Palestinian health authorities say Israeli offensives have killed more than 41,500 people, since October 2023.
Earlier in 2022 and 2023, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war had also led to DAP shortages in India.
DAP fertiliser, a vital one for Indian farmers in northern states like Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, contains phosphorus, an essential nutrient for several key crops. It also fulfils the initial need for nitrogen and sulphur in the crops.
DAP provides critical nutrients for crops such as wheat and mustard, that are usually sowed during the months of October and November.
“Every year, India consumes approximately 100 lakh tonnes of DAP, with the majority being met through imports,” says Om Prakash, an agriculture expert with Kisan Tak, India Today Digital’s sister media platform.
Apart from Haryana and Punjab, states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka experienced a mismatch between DAP demand and supply in September, with the national deficit crossing 9 lakh metric tonnes.
The Israel-Hamas war that seems to have spilled over and taken the shape of a regional war in West Asia with Hezbollah, Houthis and Iran, has severely impacted the import of DAP fertiliser.
The war in the Middle East has disrupted the vital lines of communication through the Red Sea, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal.
“The DAP imports are affected due to the Red Sea crisis going on since January, due to which fertiliser ships had to cover an additional distance of 6,500 kilometres through the Cape of Good Hope [circumnavigation Africa]. It can be noted that the availability of DAP has been affected to some extent by many geopolitical factors. This is also one of them. Efforts have been made by the Department of Fertilisers to increase the availability of DAP during September-November, 2024,” Kisan Tak quoted the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, as saying.

The Red Sea route accounts for 50% of India’s exports and 30% of its imports. (Graphic: India Today)

According to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers data, in the year 2019-2020, India imported 48.70 lakh metric tonnes of DAP, which increased to 55.67 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24.
“This diversion not only increases the travel time but also escalates costs, contributing to a shortage and price hike of DAP fertiliser,” Kisan Tak’s agriculture expert, Om Prakash, tells India Today Digital.
As a result, the price of DAP increased from $589 per metric ton in September 2023 to $632 per metric ton in September 2024.
However, the maximum retail price of DAP has been kept at around Rs 1,350 per 50 kg bag since 2020-2021, according to a report by Kisan Tak.
Apart from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and China are some of the other significant sources of fertilisers for India.
Click here to read the fertiliser shortage story in Hindi on Kisan Tak
Despite assurances from the state government that there is no shortage, farmers in several districts have reported difficulties in obtaining the necessary quantity of DAP fertiliser. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has reiterated that there is no need for panic buying, citing the Centre’s allocation of 1.10 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of DAP for November.
However, the situation on the ground narrates a different story.
Long queues of farmers have been seen at various distribution points, with police intervention sometimes necessary to manage the crowds. The opposition Congress has criticised the government for not taking timely measures to address the shortage, alleging that farmers are struggling to obtain enough DAP for their crops.
To mitigate the shortage, officials have suggested the use of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertiliser as a substitute for DAP. Haryana has received a substantial supply of 60,000 MT of NPK, with 29,000 MT already distributed to farmers.
However, it must be noted that some of the DAP crisis might have intensified due to panic buying, as pointed out by the statement from the Haryana Chief Minister’s Office.
Earlier, when the Russia-Ukraine war that broke out in February 2022 threatened India’s fertiliser security, particularly in regard to DAP.
Warring parties, Russia and Ukraine were among the key suppliers, with Russia being a significant source. The war disrupted global fertiliser supplies, leading to a surge in prices. The pinch of a war, some 4,000 km away, is now being felt by farmers in Haryana.