The DAP gap: Is the ongoing shortage real, and can it be mitigated?

Wheat and potato farmers across the northern belt of the country are in a bind. The ongoing shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), among other problems, has doubled their cost of inputs.

 

As supplies of DAP have got squeezed, more and more growers are opting for complexes — mainly combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and sulphur (NPKS) in various grades. The alternatives are being explored to ensure the sowing time for rabi crops does not pass them by as they wait for their bag of DAP.

 

However, a bag of NPKS is not the ideal replacement for DAP. A 50-kg bag