Parliamentary panel urges strategic fertiliser reserves against supply shocks

Farmers use special plant food called fertiliser to help their crops grow.

India does not make enough of this plant food, so it buys a lot from other countries.

Sometimes world events, like fights between countries, can stop the ships that carry fertiliser.

That happened recently when a very important shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, was closed.

It became harder and more expensive for India to get fertiliser.

A group of important lawmakers called a parliamentary committee studied this problem.

They told the government to keep spare fertiliser stored away, like keeping extra food in a cupboard.

That way, farmers would still have plant food even if ships cannot come.

They also said the government should watch out for people misusing cheap fertiliser to make things like plywood instead of farming.

The government gave out a huge amount of fertiliser, and the money spent on it was more than expected, so the panel wants the country to be better prepared next time.