7 months ago
India's urea tender gets lowest offer at $425/tonne for West Coast delivery
India's National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) recently received bids for importing urea.
The lowest offer was $424.80 per tonne for delivery on the West Coast and $426.80 per tonne for the East Coast.
Koch Fertilizer LLC made the lowest bid.
The government plans to import 1.5 million tonnes of urea to help farmers, as there have been shortages.
Urea imports have increased a lot this year because farmers need more of it, but local production has decreased.
The government sells urea to farmers at a very low price to help them.
National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) received the lowest offer for urea supply at $424.80 per tonne for West Coast delivery and $426.80 per tonne for East Coast delivery.
Koch Fertilizer LLC was the lowest bidder, quoting $424.80 per tonne for delivery at Gujarat ports and $426.80 per tonne for Andhra Pradesh ports.
The government plans to import 1.5 million tonnes of urea to address shortages and meet increased demand.
Urea imports surged 120% to 7.17 million tonnes during April–November 2025-26 due to increased demand and a decline in domestic production.
The government sells urea to farmers at a highly subsidized rate of Rs 267 for a 45-kg bag, significantly lower than the imported price.
- Who
- National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) on behalf of the Indian government
- What
- Lowest offer for urea supply at $424.80 per tonne for West Coast delivery and $426.80 per tonne for East Coast delivery
- Where
- Delivery ports include Pipavav, Deendayal (Ex-Kandla), Mundra (Gujarat), Kakinada, and Vizag (Andhra Pradesh)
- When
- Bids were submitted by January 2, 2026, and opened on January 5, 2026
- Why
- To import 1.5 million tonnes of urea to meet increased demand and address shortages
Key facts
- Lowest bid (West Coast)
- $424.80 per tonne
- Lowest bid (East Coast)
- $426.80 per tonne
- Quantity to be imported
- 1.5 million tonnes
- Lowest bidder
- Koch Fertilizer LLC
- Highest bid
- $523 per tonne (Suvarnabhoomi Enterprises)
- Previous tender price
- $418.40 per tonne
- Urea imports (April–November 2025-26)
- 7.17 million tonnes
- Urea sales (April–November 2025-26)
- 25.40 million tonnes
Quotes
Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
Director-General, Fertiliser Association of India (FAI)
“This signals a balanced approach—we are securing critical nutrients through planned imports while strengthening domestic phosphatic production. Going forward, FAI will focus on data-driven planning and diversification in nutrient use to support sustainable agriculture.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“First, the structural shift toward import-driven supply management for nitrogen and phosphate nutrients and secondly, the strong performance of indigenous phosphatic fertilisers like SSP, have helped sales grow 15 per cent.”
thehindubusinessline.com
