Mumbai, April 21 -- Fertiliser production in India fell to a five-year low in March, reflecting input shortages triggered by the ongoing war in West Asia, even as the combined index of eight core industries (popularly called core sector index) contracted by 0.4% on an annual basis, the weakest reading since August 2024 when it shrank 1.5%.

The data, released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday, showed that if fertilisers were excluded from the index-their weight is just 2.63%-the overall index would have remained flat instead of contracting.

The March contraction in the index was driven by four sectors: fertilisers, crude oil, coal and electricity.

Fertiliser output plunged 24.6% from a year earlier, by far the sharpest ...