At Group Of Ministers Meet On Gulf Crisis, Discussions On Shielding Farmers

India's fertiliser stocks are adequate for the upcoming Kharif sowing season, and the government is actively procuring supplies from new sources, including Morocco, to offset disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis, sources said after a high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting today.

The GoM, formed to monitor the fallout of the Middle East crisis on India's energy and supply chains, assessed the status of fertiliser and petroleum gas supplies at the meeting.

Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Health and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda were among those present.

Sources said any reduction in gas supply may have some effect on domestic fertiliser output. To compensate, India is diversifying its procurement, with talks currently underway with Morocco. Technical grade urea and diesel exhaust fluid are available in adequate quantities, sources added. These two items are critical for agricultural and transport use, respectively.

The government has also decided to hold daily inter-ministerial reviews to track the evolving situation. Separately, an all-party meeting has been scheduled tomorrow to discuss the Middle East crisis more broadly.

Oil Ministry top official Sujata Sharma said there was no shortage of LPG stocks. "The supply of LPG is affected due to the prevailing geopolitical situation. But a lot of cargo has been lined up, and no dry out has been reported at the LPG distributorships."

She said they saw some panic bookings, but LPG delivery remained normal. "There is an adequate supply of petrol and diesel. LPG cylinders are also being given to all domestic consumers. PNG supply is 100 per cent for domestic consumers," she said.

Shipping Ministry top official Rajesh Sinha said two LPG carriers have exited the Strait of Hormuz for their journey to the Indian coast.

"All Indian ships and sailors in the Gulf region are safe. No maritime incidents have been reported in the last 24 hours. Late last evening, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, both loaded with LPG... Both safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are heading toward India," Sinha said.

Pine Gas is carrying 45,000 tonnes of LPG; Jag Vasant is carrying 47,600 tonnes of LPG.