Govt reviews fuel, fertiliser supplies amid West Asia crisis; asks public to avoid panic buying

The review was carried out during the sixth meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) on West Asia, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to assess India's preparedness and supply chain resilience amid the evolving geopolitical situation.

Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers Jagat Prakash Nadda; Minister of Power Manohar Lal; Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri; Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Prahlad Joshi; Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju; Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal; Minister of Labour and Employment, Youth Affairs & Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh attended the meeting.

In a post on X after the meeting, Rajnath Singh said, "The supply situation in the country today is normal," and urged citizens to "avoid panic purchases of petrol, diesel and LPG as the Government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the availability of all essential items."

According to the release, the IGoM reviewed the availability of essential commodities and took stock of the resilience of the country's supply chains amid the disruption caused by the crisis in West Asia.

The government said supplies of petrol and diesel across the country remain "fully adequate", noting that India has an installed refining capacity of 258.1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) against domestic consumption of 243.2 million tonnes in the last financial year. India also exports around 61.5 million tonnes of petroleum products annually, and "there is no supply gap", the release said.

The ministry further said Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have not passed on the full rise in international fuel prices to consumers and are currently absorbing losses of around Rs 550 crore per day to protect retail buyers.

However, the government flagged concerns over some industrial users allegedly shifting to retail fuel purchases to take advantage of lower protected prices, along with instances of black marketing by certain dealers. It said enforcement action has been intensified by the Ministry, OMCs and state governments.

The meeting also reviewed fertiliser availability ahead of the Kharif sowing season. According to the release, the fertiliser requirement for Kharif 2026 has been estimated at 390.54 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), while current availability stands at around 200.47 LMT, or over 51 per cent of the requirement.

The government said approximately 122.4 LMT of fertilisers through imports and domestic production have been added to availability after the crisis. India has also secured around 15 LMT of DAP, including TSP, and 10 LMT of NPKs, including AS, expected to arrive at Indian ports during May and June.

Rajnath Singh directed officials to continue enhancing preparedness and stressed that "fertilisers and other essential agricultural inputs should remain adequately available to farmers to ensure that food prices in the country continue to remain stable."

The release added that fertiliser input supplies are being reviewed regularly and subsidy dues to fertiliser companies are being cleared on a weekly basis to ensure uninterrupted availability. (ANI)