The Fertiliser Challenge and the Role of Biostimulants
Context:
Severe supply chain shocks triggered by the ongoing US-Israel versus Iran conflict and the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz (since late February 2026) have led to an unprecedented surge in global fertiliser prices.
Recent tenders highlight this crisis:
The cost of importing urea into India has nearly doubled within just two months, jumping from approximately $508 per tonne in mid-February to over $935 per tonne by early April.
Dimensions of the Crisis:
The price inflation extends well beyond urea.
Import costs for Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) have surged significantly compared to pre-war levels.
The prices of essential raw intermediates required to manufacture finished fertilisers, such as sulphur and ammonia, have practically doubled or tripled compared to their average prices a year ago.
The Biostimulant Alternative:
This geopolitical supply crisis is inadvertently acting as a major catalyst for India's fledgling biostimulants industry, which offers a sustainable pathway to reduce chemical dependence.
What are Biostimulants?
Unlike conventional chemical fertilisers, biostimulants do not contain direct nutritional elements per se.
Instead, they are specialized products derived from naturally occurring substances, including microbes (bacteria and fungi), soil organic matter (such as humic and fulvic acids), and seaweed extracts.
Mechanism of Action:
Chemical nutrients like Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) applied via standard fertilisers are often not fully absorbed by crops.
For instance, Phosphorus frequently gets "locked" in the soil.
Biostimulants modify internal plant processes to drastically enhance nutrient use efficiency.
A prime example includes phosphate solubilising bacteria.
These specific microbes actively convert insoluble phosphorus present in the soil into soluble orthophosphates, which are immediately available for plant roots to uptake and utilize.
These advanced biomolecules can be directly blended with existing chemical fertilisers, making the latter function much more effectively and ultimately reducing the absolute volume of chemical fertilisers farmers need to consume.