PRESS RELEASE Letter from Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay to Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Thiru Narendra Modi, urging uninterrupted supply of fertilizers — particularly Urea and DAP — required for Tamil Nadu for the 2026 Kharif season. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, today (19.05.2026) wrote a letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Thiru Narendra Modi, urging the uninterrupted supply of fertilizers needed for the 2026 Kharif season, particularly Urea and DAP. Text of the D.O. Letter: I wish to bring to your notice that there is a shortfall in the supply of fertilizers by manufacturers during April and May 2026. Tamil Nadu is an agrarian state, and agriculture provides livelihood to more than 40% of the population. The Gross Cultivated Area is 62.25 lakh acres and the net sown area is 48.27 lakh acres. About 92% of the total farmers are small and marginal farmers. Tamil Nadu is endowed with only 3% of India's water resources, and has a diversified cropping system that includes paddy, millets, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables, flowers, fruits, medicinal and aromatic crops, spices and condiments, and plantation crops. Since assuming office as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 10th May 2026, I have been reviewing department-wise activities across the state. During my review of the Agriculture-Farmers Welfare Department, it emerged that fertilizer manufacturers have not supplied fertilizers to Tamil Nadu as per the requirement fixed for April and May 2026 — a shortfall of 39,001 metric tonnes of Urea, 28,607 metric tonnes of DAP, and 24,235 metric tonnes of Potash. Details of this shortfall have been enclosed with the letter. Further, agricultural activities to cultivate paddy, black gram, green gram, groundnut, gingelly and horticultural crops are in full swing across the state. As the India Meteorological Department has forecast the onset of the South-West Monsoon in the third week of May, and widespread rainfall is being experienced in various parts of the state, farmers are showing great enthusiasm to bring the maximum area under cultivation during the Kharif season. Consequently, the demand for Urea and DAP is likely to increase, and any shortage of fertilizers at this juncture could pose a threat to the state's food security. In this context, the State Government is committed to ensuring the availability of fertilizers required to cultivate various crops on 25 lakh acres — 40% of the total cropped area — during the current Kharif season. As favourable conditions have led to progress in crop cultivation this Kharif season, the demand for straight fertilizers such as Urea and DAP is expected to rise significantly in the coming days. To meet this demand, 3.83 lakh metric tonnes of Urea, 1.05 lakh metric tonnes of DAP, and 0.83 lakh metric tonnes of Potash are required immediately. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, has urged in his letter that necessary instructions be issued to the concerned authorities to ensure that these quantities of fertilizer are supplied to Tamil Nadu without delay, and that their timely availability is guaranteed. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9