New Delhi, Jan. 5 -- The Union government has estimated a tentative fertilizer requirement of Rs 37,952 crore for the Rabi 2025-26 season, which is about Rs 736 crore higher than the outlay for the Kharif 2025 season, reflecting higher support for key soil nutrients amid volatile global prices.

As per the government statement, the increase comes as international prices of fertilizers and raw materials remain uncertain.

To prevent these costs from being passed on to farmers, the government sharply enhanced subsidies under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme, especially for Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), whose subsidy jumped to Rs 29,805 per tonne, up from Rs 21,911 last year.

The move aims to ensure the continued availability of ferti...