Fertiliser consumption grows in Q4 as urea demand reaches 2.5m tonnes

Fertiliser use in Pakistan rose year-on-year in the final quarter of calendar 2025 despite perceptions that recent floods significantly disrupted farming activity, according to industry data.

Data from the National Fertilizer Development Centre (NFDC) shows urea offtake climbed 26 percent year-on-year and 36 percent quarter-on-quarter to 2.5 million tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with 2.0 million tonnes in the same period last year.

In contrast, DAP offtake declined by 21 percent year-on-year, falling to 543,000 tonnes from 690,000 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.

According to Muhammad Ali Iqbal, President of Concave Agri Services, the rise in fertiliser consumption reflected changes in usage intensity and shifts in crop choices rather than a broad expansion of cultivated area. He noted that although prices were higher than in earlier periods, fertiliser use had increased year-on-year, supported by government interventions stabilising demand.

Analysts attributed higher urea offtake in part to the Rabi season and advance purchases by dealers attracted by discounts, suggesting that sector dynamics rather than overall growth in farm activity were driving the trend.

Despite the higher fertiliser numbers, sector stakeholders caution that the increase does not necessarily signal recovery of the broader agricultural sector, which continues to face challenges following flood-related losses.