New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- India is seeing a rise in demand for urea, and phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilizers during the ongoing kharif season, with several states such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh flagging shortages in supply.

Following this, agriculture and farmers' welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked states to take swift action against black marketing, overpricing, and the diversion of subsidised fertilizers. Mint takes a close look at the dynamics of fertilizer use, availability and how much the government spends on fertilizer subsidies.

According to the central government data, in the ongoing kharif season (which starts from June), India consumed 18.2 million tonnes of the most...