GoI Approves Nutrient-Based Subsidy Rates for Rabi 2025–26 SeasonIn January 2025, the Government of India (GoI) approved the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for the Rabi 2025–26 season, effective from October 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, including Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and NPKS(Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulphur) grades.
About Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme – Rabi 2025–26:
Features: The policy has a fixed subsidy, a decontrolled P&K sector with company-set Maximum Retail Price (MRP) under GoI oversight, and subsidies passed directly to farmers.
Budget: The government has estimated a tentative budgetary requirement of Rs. 37,952.29 crore for the Rabi 2025–26 season, which is approximately Rs.736 crore higher than the allocation for the Kharif 2025 season.
NBS Rates: For Rabi 2025–26, the NBS rates are Rs. 43.02 per kg (kilogram) for Nitrogen (N), Rs. 47.96 per kg for Phosphorus (P), Rs. 2.38 per kg for Potassium (K), and Rs. 2.87 per kg for Sulphur (S).
DAP Subsidy: GoI has raised the DAP subsidy to Rs 29,805 per metric tonne (MT) from Rs 21,911 in Rabi 2024-25 to protect farmers from international price volatility.
Fertilizer Subsidies: Subsidized fertilizers include DAP (18-46-0-0) at Rs 29,805/MT, Muriate of Potash (MOP 0-0-60-0) at Rs 1,428/MT, and Single Super Phosphate (SSP 0-16-0-11) at Rs 7,408/MT.
Production and Productivity: 

• Fertilizer Production: Domestic production of P&K fertilizers (DAP and NPKS) increased by over 50%, rising from 112.19 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) in 2014 to 168.55 LMT by 30th December 2025.
• Foodgrain Yield: Foodgrain productivity grew from 1,930 kg per hectare in 2010–11 to 2,578 kg per hectare in 2024–25.

Fortification Incentives: Fertilizers fortified or coated with Boron (B) or Zinc (Zn) are eligible for additional incentives of Rs 300 and Rs 500 per MT respectively, as per the Fertilizer Control Order.