Expedite work on farmer IDs, ensure supply of fertilisers: Agriculture Minister to officials

Reviewing the impact of the war in West Asia on India’s farm sector, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked officials on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) to ensure an equitable and uninterrupted supply of fertilisers. He directed the officials to expedite the work on “farmer IDs” to make the fertiliser distribution system transparent.

Mr. Chouhan will meet Chief Ministers and Agriculture Ministers of States on the completion of the project. The government is targeting to provide digital IDs for 11 crore farmers by 2026-27, and as of November 2025, more than 7.63 crore IDs have been generated, including 1.93 crore IDs for women farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry, in a statement, said the primary objective of the meeting was to safeguard the interests of the Indian agricultural sector and its farmers amid current global instability, while ensuring strategic preparedness for the upcoming kharif season. The Minister asked the officers to play a proactive role during times of crisis.

The Minister issued instructions to take action against those engaging in the black marketing of fertilisers and seeds by taking advantage of the global crisis. The availability of agro-chemicals and essential gases required for drying seed was also reviewed at the meeting. To ensure that there is no shortage of packaging materials, particularly for milk and agricultural produce, Mr. Chouhan said the Ministry had issued directives to coordinate with the Petroleum Ministry and other relevant departments.

The meeting issued instructions to take action against those engaging in the black market for fertilisers and seeds by taking advantage of the global crisis. The meeting reviewed the availability of agrochemicals and the essential gases required for drying seeds. To ensure that there is no shortage of packaging materials, particularly for milk and other agricultural products, Mr. Chouhan stated that the Ministry has issued directives to coordinate with the Ministry of Petroleum and other relevant departments. The Ministry has established a ‘Special Cell’ for round-the-clock monitoring of the agricultural sector. “This cell will submit a weekly report to the Union Agriculture Minister regarding the availability of fertilizers, seeds and pesticides,” the Ministry added.

Earlier, the Fertiliser Ministry had maintained that it had adequate stocks of fertilisers for the kharif season. The Ministry said there was a stock of 62 lakh tonnes of urea, 25 lakh tonnes of di-ammonium phosphate, and 56 lakh tonnes of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilisers for the kharif season. The Ministry maintained that the stock of fertilizers was higher than that during the corresponding period last year.