New Delhi, April 4 (PTI): The government will maintain a buffer stock of urea of 50,000 tonnes each in 12 states to avoid shortage of the fertiliser in the coming Kharif sowing season.

"We are going to maintain buffer stock of fertilisers," Fertiliser Secretary J S Sarma said at a Kharif Campaign 2007 being held here to discuss the preparedness on the part of states for the coming sowing season.

Sarma said a buffer stock of 50,000 tonnes of urea would be created in each of the 12 "major" states so that they could have an access to this stock at any given point of time if there are shortages.

Urea stocks would be kept at two-three locations in each of the 12 states, he said, but refused to disclose the names of the states.

The government was also planning to have similar stocks for DAP (Di-Ammonium Phospate) and MOP (muriate of potash) fertilisers, he added.

The secretary also assured all the states, which have come to respresent in the two-day meet, there was no shortage of fertilisers in the country for Kharif season.

Sarma informed that the government had a stock of 20 lakh tonnes of urea, 11 lakh tonnes of DAP and 14 lakh tonnes of MOP at the end of the last fiscal and with indigenous production and imports, the availability would be sufficient.

"We are going to import what is required even though international prices have increased substantially since February," he said, urging the states to maximise the usage of fertilisers as it was being imported at a huge cost.

He said fertilisers requirements of the states would be despatched to all the states before 15th of each month, with 75 per cent at the start of the month.