The ongoing conflict in West Asia is causing big problems for trade around the world. While many people are worried about the price of petrol and gas for cars, a new danger is appearing for farmers in India. A recent report shows that the fight between different countries could stop the flow of natural gas into India. This gas is very important because it is used to make fertilizer that helps crops grow.

What Happened?

India is a country that relies heavily on farming. To grow enough food for everyone, farmers use a lot of fertilizer called urea. Most of the plants that make urea in India use something called Liquefied Natural Gas, or LNG, to run their machines and create the product. However, India does not have enough of its own gas. Because of this, the country has to buy more than half of its natural gas from other countries. In the year 2025, India bought 261 lakh metric tonnes of this gas from the international market, making it the fourth largest buyer in the world.

The problem is that a huge part of this gas comes from West Asia. More than 40% of the gas India buys is from Qatar. To get to India, the ships carrying this gas must pass through a very narrow path in the sea called the Strait of Hormuz. This area has become very dangerous because of the war involving Israel and Iran. If this path is blocked or if ships are attacked, the gas will not reach India. This would mean that the factories making fertilizer would have to stop working. Without this gas, the production of urea would fall, and there would not be enough food for the plants in the fields.

Key Highlights

India is the fourth largest buyer of natural gas in the whole world.
In 2025, India had to import more than 50% of the natural gas it used.
Most of this gas comes from Qatar, which sends it through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz.
Nearly 30% of the gas India buys is used specifically to make fertilizer for farms.
India used 387 lakh metric tonnes of urea in 2025, but it only produced 306 lakh metric tonnes.
The country spends over $2.3 billion every year just to buy extra urea from other countries.
About 71% of all urea India buys from abroad comes from the West Asia region.

Why Does This Matter?

This news is very important for common people because India is an agrarian economy. This means that a huge number of people earn their money from farming. If farmers cannot get fertilizer, they cannot grow many crops. When there is less food being grown, the price of food in the local markets goes up. This makes life harder for everyone, especially for families who are already struggling to pay for their daily meals. Urea is the most used fertilizer in India, and any change in its price or supply hits the pockets of every citizen eventually.

In the past, factories used different types of oil to make fertilizer, but they switched to natural gas because it is cleaner and better for the air. Now that they have switched, they are stuck. They cannot easily go back to using old fuels. This makes the country very dependent on the gas coming from West Asia. If the war continues and the ships cannot travel safely, the entire supply chain for food in India could be in trouble. It shows how a war far away can affect the dinner plate of a family in a small Indian village.

What Are People Saying?

Experts who look at trade and numbers are getting worried. They see that India is now more dependent on other countries for gas than it was a few years ago. Data points show that even though India is making more urea than before, the demand from farmers is growing even faster. People in the shipping industry are also watching the Strait of Hormuz very closely. They say that if that small path in the ocean is closed, it will not just be about gas; it will be a global crisis that affects many different products.

Government officials are looking for ways to make sure the supply of fertilizer stays steady. They know that if the supply of urea drops, it could lead to protests from farmers who need the chemicals for their seedlings. The public is also starting to notice that prices for many things are going up because of the trouble in West Asia. Everyone is hoping for peace so that the ships can move freely again and the farmers can get what they need to feed the nation.

Conclusion

The conflict in West Asia is more than just a political fight; it is a threat to India's food security. With so much of India's gas and fertilizer coming from that one region, any disruption can cause big problems. The numbers from 2025 show that India needs a steady flow of imports to keep its farms running. As the situation remains tense, the focus will stay on how India can protect its supply lines and ensure that its millions of farmers have the tools they need to keep growing food for the country.