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A meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the evolving West Asia situation was held at Parliament House on Tuesday, focusing on its potential impact on essential supplies, particularly fertilisers.
According to sources, the ministers reviewed the current availability and supply of fertilisers and concluded that there is no immediate shortage for the upcoming Kharif season, assuring that farmers' requirements will be met. However, the ongoing crisis in the region is likely to impact fertiliser production by an estimated 0.6 to 0.9 million tonnes. The GoM also discussed contingency measures to address any potential shortfall. Sources said the government is planning to bridge the gap through imports from countries such as Morocco and other global suppliers. The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Health and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda, among others. The government has also convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday to further deliberate on the West Asia situation. Meanwhile, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, said that there was no shortage of LPG stocks. "The supply of LPG is affected due to the prevailing geopolitical situation. But a lot of cargo has been lined up, and no dry out has been reported at the LPG distributorships. Yesterday, we also observed some panic booking. But the delivery was normal... Sufficient stocks are available. There is an adequate supply of petrol and diesel. LPG cylinders are also being given to all domestic consumers. PNG supply is 100% for domestic consumers," she said. Addressing the inter-minsterial briefing Rajesh Sinha, Special Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, informed that two LPG carrier had exited the Strait of Hormuz and were enroute to India. "All Indian ships and sailors in the Gulf region are safe. No maritime incidents have been reported in the last 24 hours. Late last evening, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, both are loaded with LPG. Both vessels safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are headed towards India. Pine Gas is carrying 45,000 metric tons of LPG and is due to arrive at the New Mangalore Port, likely in the morning of March 27th. The other LPG carrier vessel, Jag Vasant, is carrying approximately 47,600 metric tons of LPG and is headed towards Kandla, with an estimated arrival date of March 26th. Thus, with the departure of these two ships from the Persian Gulf, there are now 20 Indian-flagged ships, carrying 540 Indian sailors, in the Persian Gulf...No congestion has been reported at any port,." he said. (ANI)
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