Fertiliser cooperative Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) on Friday said it plans to import 3-4 lakh tonne of non-urea fertilisers for the upcoming rabi season starting next month, even as it flagged a possible dip in demand due to the El Nino effect on sowing.

KRIBHCO imports phosphatic fertilisers such as Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), the second most widely used fertiliser in the country after urea.

"We have lined up imports of 3-4 lakh tonne of DAP and NPK fertilisers for the rabi season," KRIBHCO Chairman V Sudhakar Chowdary told PTI on the sidelines of the cooperative's 46th annual general meeting.

The cooperative annually imports about 12-15 lakh tonne of non-urea fertilisers, out of the country's overall import of around 70 lakh tonne, KRIBHCO Managing Director S S Yadav said.

"We have imported 8 lakh tonne of DAP and 1 lakh tonne of other NPK fertilisers. We had sufficient quantity for the kharif season. We will import 3 lakh tonne more in the next two to three months to meet the rabi demand," he said.

With an existing stock of 6 lakh tonne, the additional 3 lakh tonne of imports would be sufficient to meet demand in the upcoming rabi season, Yadav said.

Yadav said global prices of non-urea fertilisers continue to remain firm due to the West Asia crisis, with DAP currently priced at around $900 a tonne and NPK at $915 a tonne.

"This is a matter of concern," he said.

On the likely impact of El Nino on rabi demand, Yadav said, "There is a possibility that the demand will be reduced due to El Nino because there is going to be less sowing, and it will have an impact on rabi as well."

The kharif season saw lower crop coverage on account of a rainfall deficit, though fertiliser use has not declined in absolute terms, he noted.

Yadav added that the cooperative is promoting balanced use of fertilisers through its range of products, including bio-fertilisers and Farm Organic Manure (FOM) made from cow dung.

KRIBHCO reported a 16 per cent jump in net profit to around ₹630 crore for the 2025-26 financial year.

The cooperative operates two urea manufacturing units — at Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Surat (Gujarat) — with a combined annual capacity of 35 lakh tonne.

Published on September 25, 2026