LAHORE: The balanced use of fertiliser has deteriorated sharply, with 2025-26 approaching the lowest level in nearly seven years.
According to the Economic Survey released on Thursday, nitrogen offtake reached 3.035 million tonnes while phosphorus stood at 712,000 tonnes for July to March 2025-26. However, the growth is uneven across nutrient. The higher use of urea raise nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 4.26 to 1, far above the agronomic recommendation of 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 for major crops. The ratio has worsened by 55 per cent since 2020-21, when it was 2.74 to 1 in the first nine months of the year.
As per data, nitrogen use is 6.0 per cent above its seven-year average of 2.862 million tonnes, while phosphorus is 16 per cent below its average of 846,000 tonnes. Potash remains 9.0 per cent above its low average of 44,000 tonnes but is still negligible in the overall mix. Total offtake is 7.1 per cent above average, masking a structural imbalance. The data shows recovery in volume but deterioration in balance.
The absolute low point came in 2022-23 during the flood and price crisis, when the ratio hit 4.78 to 1 as phosphorus use collapsed to 569,000 tonnes only. Although phosphorus offtake improved slightly to 712,000 tonnes in 2025-26, a 14.7 per cent jump in nitrogen use pushed the imbalance close to that record level. Potash remains negligible at 48,000 tonnes, or just 1.3 per cent of total farm nutrients.
The seven-year data for July to March shows phosphorus use is still 31 per cent below its 2020-21 peak of 1.035 million tonnes, while nitrogen is 7.0 per cent higher. This reflects farmers cutting DAP and other phosphatic fertilisers due to high costs, while maintaining urea application for Rabi crops. The trend indicates a structural shift toward nitrogen-heavy use. With DAP stocks projected at only 9,000 tonnes by the end of Kharif 2026, the imbalance is likely to persist and risks affecting crop yields and soil health.
Nonetheless, the Economic Survey reports a recovery in fertiliser offtake during July to March 2025-26, driven mainly by higher nitrogen consumption. Total nutrient offtake for the period reached 3.795 million tonnes, showing an increase of 11.5 per cent compared to 3.404 million tonnes in July to March 2024-25.
Nitrogen offtake stood at 3.035 million tonnes in July to March 2025-26. Urea is the main source of nitrogen and accounts for nearly 80 percent of total nutrient use. The rise in nitrogen offtake reflects stable domestic urea production and no import dependence amid its extremely high prices in the international market.
Phosphorus offtake for July to March 2025-26 is marginally lower than the corresponding period of 2024-25 and remains 31 percent below the peak of 1.035 million tonnes achieved in 2020-21. Phosphorus use has not recovered to pre-2022 levels, largely due to high international prices of DAP and other phosphatic fertilisers.
Potash offtake remained limited at 48,000 tonnes during July to March 2025-26, compared to 39,000 tonnes last year. Potash use in Pakistan is low because most soils are naturally rich in potassium. However, the long-term trend of high nitrogen and low phosphorus and potash application raises concerns about balanced fertilisation.
The Economic Survey data highlights the impact of the 2022-23 fertiliser crisis. Total nutrient offtake fell to 3.311 million tonnes in July to March 2022-23, the lowest in seven years. Phosphorus use dropped sharply to 569,000 tonnes that year due to record high DAP prices and import constraints following the floods. Offtake improved to 3.957 million tonnes in 2023-24 as availability normalised, before moderating to 3.404 million tonnes in 2024-25.
