Updated: 3 October 2026

The MRP of DAP has been held at ₹1,350 per 50 kg bag, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers told the Rajya Sabha on 10 March 2026. DAP is not under a statutory price like urea: non-urea fertilisers are priced by manufacturers under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS), but for DAP the government has kept the retail price steady with an extra payment to makers.

One 50 kg bag holds 9 kg of nitrogen and 23 kg of P2O5. There is no official state-wise MRP for DAP. For the full price list see the fertiliser price page.

Price, subsidy and supply

ItemFigureSource and date
MRP per 50 kg bag₹1,350PIB, 10 Mar 2026 (Rabi 2025-26)
Special package on DAP₹3,500 per tonne, over and above NBSPIB, 10 Mar 2026
NBS Kharif 2026 (1 Apr to 30 Sep 2026)N ₹47.32, P ₹52.76, K ₹2.38, S ₹3.16 per kgCabinet, 8 Apr 2026, via DT Next
Stock on 5 Mar 202671.89 LMT against 51.38 LMT pro-rata needPIB, 10 Mar 2026
  • The PIB note says the package covers other costs including logistics from factory to farm gate, GST and a 4% reasonable return for makers, which is how the bag price is held.
  • Kharif 2026 ended on 30 September 2026. The Rabi 2026-27 NBS rates are not yet confirmed, so the Kharif 2026 rates are the latest. The Cabinet put the Kharif 2026 outlay at ₹41,534 crore for 28 P&K grades.

What is in the bag

  • Grade 18-46-0. The Fertiliser (Control) Order requires total N at least 18.0%, ammoniacal N at least 15.5%, and citrate-soluble P2O5 at least 46.0%. The Order also sets water-soluble P2O5 at least 41.0% and moisture at most 1.5%.
  • Per bag: 50 x 18 / 100 = 9 kg N; 50 x 46 / 100 = 23 kg P2O5.
  • Not in DAP: potash, and no sulphur or calcium content is set in the Order. Sulphur and zinc must come from other products.
Need DAP or urea near you at the right price?

Crops, soils and when to apply

TNAU notes that phosphate hardly moves in soil, so it must be placed in the root zone. DAP is a basal fertiliser: drill it at sowing, not as a top dressing. PAU doses without a soil test, per acre, for medium-fertility Punjab soils:

Crop (PAU)DAP per acreP2O5Note
Wheat55 kg25 kgDrill at sowing; no urea needed at sowing if DAP is used
Paddy27 kg12 kgOnly if soil test shows deficiency; skip if the previous wheat got phosphorus; urea cut by 10 kg
Maize hybrids55 kg (or 27 kg for PMH 2 type)24 kg (or 12 kg)Omit if maize follows wheat that got the full phosphorus dose
Arhar (pigeon pea)35 kg16 kgWhere DAP is used, omit nitrogen

Other states and soils differ. Test the soil (Soil Health Card) and work out the quantity with the fertiliser calculator. Organic manure lets you cut chemical doses, see organic fertiliser.

Common mistakes

  1. Adding full urea on top. DAP already gives 9 kg N a bag. PAU cuts urea by 10 kg when 27 kg DAP is used and by 20 kg when 55 kg is used in maize.
  2. Forgetting sulphur. Where P goes in as DAP and the soil is sulphur-deficient, PAU advises 100 kg gypsum per acre before sowing wheat. For mustard it prefers phosphorus from SSP; if SSP is unavailable it adds 80 kg gypsum with 26 kg DAP and 35 kg urea per acre.
  3. Expecting zinc from DAP. It has none. Zinc sulphate is a separate dose (PAU: 25 kg of the 21% grade per acre at puddling in paddy after a deficient crop).
  4. Applying where phosphorus is not needed. PAU says give P to paddy only on a deficiency soil test.

DAP versus SSP plus urea, per kg of nutrient

To get the 23 kg P2O5 and 9 kg N that one DAP bag gives, the SSP route needs 23 / 0.16 = 143.75 kg SSP (2.875 bags) and 9 / 0.46 = 19.57 kg urea.

RouteCostNP2O5Sulphur
1 bag DAP at ₹1,350₹1,3509 kg23 kgnone set
2.875 bags SSP at ₹480.75 plus 19.57 kg urea at ₹5.38 per kg₹1,382.16 + ₹105.22 = ₹1,487.389 kg23 kgabout 15.8 kg (143.75 x 11 / 100)
  • DAP is about ₹137 cheaper for the same N and P2O5. Crediting N at urea's ₹11.69 per kg, DAP's P2O5 costs (1,350 - 105.22) / 23 = ₹54.12 per kg, against SSP's ₹480.75 / 8 = ₹60.09 per kg.
  • The SSP price is the Markfed Madhya Pradesh granular rate from 1 April 2024; a 2026 SSP price is not confirmed. Where sulphur is short, SSP's extra sulphur is worth something. See the SSP page and the urea page.

Genuine product, tagging and complaints

  • Bags must say "FERTILISER" and be sealed or stitched so contents cannot be tampered with. Check the printed MRP of ₹1,350 on a 50 kg bag, the grade 18-46-0 and a manufacturer name. Refuse a torn or re-stitched bag.
  • Sale is recorded on an Aadhaar-enabled PoS device, and the Minister said on 7 Aug 2026 that alternative Aadhaar-based modes exist under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act for genuine authentication problems. Take the PoS slip.
  • In July 2025 the Agriculture Minister told States to act on black marketing, overpricing, diversion, sampling of substandard stock and forced tagging of nano fertilisers or bio-stimulants, with licence cancellation for violators.
  • Report to the District Agriculture Officer or the state agriculture department. The Kisan Call Centre number listed by PAU is 1800-180-1551. Check stock on the availability page.

Related nano product

IFFCO also markets a Nano DAP. What is and is not confirmed about it is on Nano DAP. Whatever its merits, it cannot be forced on you with DAP. More in the fertiliser guide.

Sources

Fertilizer guides by product