Urea is the fertiliser Indian farmers rely on most. While its widespread misuse has contributed to soil infertility and to air and water pollution, it is equally true that without urea, India would struggle to sustain food production for a population of 1.45 billion and growing. India therefore needs to do two things simultaneously: optimise urea use in its fields and ensure that farmers get it without disruption. A few months ago, that supply was severely disrupted by the US-Iran war. Since more than 80% of the urea India uses is either made from imported natural gas or bought directly from other countries, the shock was severe.