Overview

• China has halted specialty fertilizer exports to India for two months by subjecting shipments to prolonged inspections and procedural delays.
• India relies on China for about 80 percent of its specialty fertilizer needs, raising concerns over fruit and vegetable yields in the June–December planting season.
• Water-soluble, slow-release and micronutrient fertilizers destined for India remain stuck in Chinese ports under unofficial export controls.
• New Delhi is pursuing imports from Jordan and European producers and evaluating domestic manufacturing to curb its dependence on Chinese shipments.
• The fertilizer embargo builds on prior export curbs on rare-earth magnets and tunnel-boring machines as part of growing Sino-Indian trade tensions.