As DAP sales dip, farmers turn to more beneficial NPKS

MOP sales buck trend, rise 20% in kharif 2024

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

The perceived shortage of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) just before the critical rabi sowing season might have had an unintended benefit.

Sales of the more beneficial NPKS complex fertilisers have spiked year-on-year (Y-o-Y) during the April-October period, as farmers replenished their soils. Sales of Muriate of Potash (MOP) also rebounded, bucking a declining trend seen over the past two financial years.

This could also suggest that the drop in DAP sales might not adversely impact rabi crop yields, according to officials from the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI).

Data by FAI showed that NPKS sales between April and October increased almost 23.5 per cent Y-o-Y, while DAP sales dropped 25.4 per cent during the same period. The most common grade of NPKS—20:20:0:13—recorded the highest growth in sales, industry players said.