India’s fertiliser security is facing a new challenge as the global supply of sulphur, a crucial raw material used in fertiliser production, comes under pressure following disruptions to energy infrastructure in Russia and West Asia.
According to a report published Monday by The Indian Express, sulphur import prices have more than tripled over the past year, creating new cost pressures for India’s fertiliser industry.
The development is significant because sulphur is not simply another industrial commodity. It is an important input for manufacturing fertilisers including single superphosphate (SSP) and other sulphur-containing agricultural products. Any prolonged disruption in supply can therefore have consequences extending from chemical manufacturers to farmers and eventually food prices.
The problem originates partly from the unusual relationship between sulphur and the global energy industry.
Sulphur is commonly recovered as a by-product of oil and natural-gas refining. That means its availability is closely connected to global energy production. When energy infrastructure is disrupted, refinery operations are affected and the availability of sulphur can also tighten.
Russia and countries in West Asia are important participants in the global energy and fertiliser supply chain. Attacks and disruptions affecting energy infrastructure in these regions have therefore created additional uncertainty for commodities derived from refining.
India has already been dealing with the consequences of geopolitical disruptions on fertiliser imports.
The government said earlier this year that the West Asia conflict had affected international fertiliser supply chains, resulting in higher freight and insurance costs, shipment delays and price volatility. The Department of Fertilizers specifically identified sulphur, ammonia and phosphoric acid among the imported inputs affected by supply-chain disruptions.
India has taken measures to protect fertiliser availability, including diversifying international sourcing and monitoring supplies. But the latest sulphur issue demonstrates that securing finished fertilisers such as urea does not necessarily eliminate vulnerabilities elsewhere in the production chain.
This matters because India’s agricultural sector operates on a very large scale and requires reliable fertiliser supplies at critical points in the crop cycle.
India is also heavily dependent on imports for several fertiliser-related materials. An NDTV Datafy analysis based on government trade data showed that Russia accounted for about 20% of India’s fertiliser imports during April-December 2025, followed by Saudi Arabia at 18%, China at 16% and Morocco at 14%.
This concentration makes international shipping routes particularly important.
Fertiliser shipments can travel through strategically sensitive maritime corridors including the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez Canal and Strait of Malacca. Disruptions at any of these chokepoints can increase freight costs or delay shipments.
That creates a chain reaction.
First, geopolitical instability disrupts energy infrastructure or shipping.
Second, the price of industrial inputs rises.
Third, fertiliser manufacturers face higher production costs.
Fourth, the cost of agricultural inputs can rise for farmers.
Finally, depending on how costs are absorbed or passed through the supply chain, food prices can come under pressure.
However, a rise in sulphur prices does not automatically mean a food-price crisis is imminent. India has substantial procurement and subsidy mechanisms and can diversify suppliers. The government has also previously demonstrated its willingness to intervene when fertiliser availability comes under pressure.
The current issue is therefore better understood as a supply-chain vulnerability rather than an immediate shortage.
There is another emerging factor: demand for sulphur is expected to increase from industries beyond conventional fertiliser production. The expanding chemical sector and some emerging industrial applications, including those connected with energy-transition technologies, are adding pressure to global sulphur demand.
For India, the development reinforces the importance of domestic production and diversified sourcing.
The country has been trying to reduce vulnerability in fertiliser supply by expanding domestic manufacturing, securing long-term import agreements and developing alternative sources. But producing more fertiliser domestically still requires access to raw materials and energy.
That means India’s fertiliser-security challenge is increasingly becoming an energy-security and geopolitical-security issue as well.
For farmers, the immediate question will be whether higher international sulphur costs translate into higher input prices. For the government, the challenge will be maintaining adequate supplies without allowing geopolitical disruptions to create significant pressure on agricultural costs.
The sulphur story is therefore one to watch closely. India may have avoided a major urea supply shock, but the latest development shows that vulnerabilities can shift from one raw material to another.