The Centre on Monday said India remains well-prepared to deal with any fallout from the evolving situation in West Asia, asserting that fertiliser availability, petroleum supplies and maritime operations continue to remain stable, while authorities are maintaining close surveillance over developments in the region.
During an inter-ministerial media briefing, senior officials from the Departments of Fertilisers, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Shipping outlined measures taken to safeguard supply chains and ensure uninterrupted availability of critical commodities.
The Department of Fertilisers said the country’s fertiliser stocks are at comfortable levels ahead of the Kharif 2026 season. Joint Secretary Bandana informed that the fertiliser requirement for the season has been reassessed at 383.9 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), against which 196.65 LMT stocks are currently available, representing about 51 per cent of the seasonal requirement.
She said farmers have already purchased 102.78 LMT of chemical fertilisers, accounting for around 27 per cent of the total requirement. In addition, 22.60 LMT of organic manure is available in the country, with sales reaching 11.82 LMT so far compared to 3.31 LMT during the corresponding period last year, indicating growing adoption of organic nutrient sources.
Officials said 123.65 LMT of fertilisers have been produced domestically and 39.36 LMT imported since the onset of the crisis, taking the additional availability to 163.01 LMT. India has also secured supplies exceeding 50 LMT of urea and phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers from multiple countries, including Oman, Russia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The Department further stated that a global tender for procurement of 17 LMT of urea is under process and that fertiliser subsidy payments are being released regularly. It maintained that no shortage is anticipated during the ongoing Kharif season.
On maritime logistics, the Ministry of Shipping said the LNG carrier Disha, managed by a consortium led by the Shipping Corporation of India, has safely transited the Strait of Hormuz carrying 62,370 metric tonnes of LNG and is expected to reach India on June 18.
Shipping Ministry officials said 10 Indian-flagged and five foreign-flagged vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz safely so far. At present, 13 Indian-flagged vessels and around 325 Indian seafarers remain in the Persian Gulf region west of the Strait.
The Ministry said approximately 18,000 Indian seafarers are employed across vessels operating in the wider Gulf region.
Responding to concerns regarding reports of Indian crew members aboard a Hong Kong-flagged tanker allegedly involved in an incident in recent days, officials clarified that all Indian nationals on board were safe and no injuries had been reported.
The Directorate General of Shipping has also issued advisories urging shipping companies and recruitment agencies to exercise heightened vigilance while operating in conflict-affected waters.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, meanwhile, reported that domestic fuel supply remains stable. Officials said commercial LPG distribution, PNG expansion and supply of feedstock to chemical, pharmaceutical and paint industries continue without disruption.
The Ministry said stakeholder consultations on the proposed Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) Price Stabilisation Scheme are in the final stage and guidelines are expected to be issued shortly.
Providing an update on the rollout of flex-fuel infrastructure, officials said ethanol-blended fuel would be available at around 500 retail outlets by December 2026 and 5,000 outlets by December 2027.
On fuel pricing, the Ministry indicated that current under-recoveries are estimated at around Rs 700 per domestic LPG cylinder, about Rs 3 per litre on petrol and approximately Rs 27 per litre on diesel.