India, May 5 -- The Government's fertiliser subsidy bill for the 2026-27 fiscal is expected to exceed the budgetary allocation of Rs 1.71 lakh crore, with rising costs of imported urea and other fertilisers driven by the ongoing West Asia crisis, a senior ministry official said on Monday.

"We know that the costs have risen. Cost of both urea and other fertilisers showing an upward trend... There will surely be an increase, but as of now, cannot say," Aparna S Sharma, Additional Secretary in the Department of Fertilisers, said at an inter-ministerial briefing on developments in West Asia. Despite the supply chain disruptions triggered by the West Asia crisis, Sharma said fertiliser availability remains "strong and stable" for the kharif 2...