India has adequate fertiliser, coal stocks amid West Asia war: PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi assured the Lok Sabha that India has adequate fertiliser and coal stocks to counter the impact of the West Asia conflict. He said the government has never allowed global crises to burden farmers and is prepared for summer electricity demand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Centre has made adequate arrangements for fertilisers amid concerns over imports due to the West Asia conflict, saying that the government has never "allowed the burden of global crises to fall on farmers."

Assurances for Agriculture Sector

Addressing the Lok Sabha, PM Modi assured the nation that adequate coal stocks are present to generate electricity as the summer season approaches in India. The Prime Minister said, "A major question is - what will be the impact of the war on agriculture? The farmers of our country have filled our grain reserves. Therefore, India has adequate food stocks. It is also our endeavour that sowing for the Kharif season takes place properly. The government has made adequate arrangements for fertilisers to deal with such situations. In the past as well, our government did not allow the burden of global crises to fall on farmers. In the last decade, six urea plants have been commissioned, adding 76 lakhs metric tonnes of capacity of urea."

There were concerns around the supply of fertilisers for farming, as India depends on West Asia for a major part of its imported fertilisers. Earlier in March, QatarEnergy had announced that it is stopping the production of some downstream products in the country, including urea, polymers, methanol, aluminium and other products amid the ongoing conflict in the region.

Measures to Ensure Energy Security

Addressing the "major challenge" of electricity production, PM Modi said, "Another major challenge of the war is that the summer season is beginning in India. In the coming days, with rising temperatures, the demand for electricity will increase. Currently, adequate coal stocks are available at all power plants across the country."

Tackling Fuel Crisis with Ethanol and Electrification

Further, PM Modi invoked ethanol blending in fuel and electrification of railways as steps to counter the global fuel crisis, as Iran has virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz. "Due to ethanol blending, we are saving the import of about 4.5 crore barrels of oil every year. Similarly, railway electrification is also bringing great benefits. If such large-scale railway electrification had not happened, an additional 180 crore litres of diesel would have been required every year. We have also expanded the metro network. In 2014, the metro network was less than 250 km, which has now increased to more than 1100 km," he said.

Diversifying Imports and Securing Corridors

He added that India has diversified its energy imports in the last 11 years, assuring the public of adequate crude oil and gas supplies. The Prime Minister said, "In the last 11 years, India has diversified its energy imports. Earlier, for energy needs like crude oil, LNG and LPG, imports were made from 27 countries, but today India imports energy from 41 countries. In the last 11 years, our refining capacity has increased significantly. The government is in constant contact with suppliers from different countries. The effort is to ensure that oil and gas supplies continue from wherever possible...further secure India's future. We are in constant dialogue with all our global partners to ensure the safety of our maritime corridors. As a result of such efforts, many of our ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz have recently returned to India."

Geopolitical Backdrop

The Prime Minister made a statement against the backdrop of escalating tensions and conflict that began on February 28 with the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption in the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all nations except Iran's enemies. (ANI)

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