For some time now, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), in its half-yearly reports, has been highlighting the ills of skewed fertilizer use. In its latest report for the 2026 rabi marketing season though, it has taken the bull by the horns and recommended increasing the price of urea to reduce its offtake. This would not only save the fisc a packet in subsidies but also resolve a host of problems that the ridiculously low pricing of urea creates for the economy. Despite inflation, the selling price of urea has remained at ₹5.4 per kilogram (₹245 per 45-kg bag), lower than common salt, for well over 25 years now. A solitary attempt to raise prices by ₹1 per bag, in 1998, was immediately rolled back on protests.

In a bid to achieve atmanirbharta in fertilizers, the NDA r

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