DAP and MAP: Overview
The granules that carry most of the world's farm phosphorus
The granules that carry most of the world's farm phosphorus What this tab covers What the chemical is, how big its market is, what it is used for (with shares, volumes, why it wins and what could replace it), and its chain from raw material to end user. Ends with three things to remember.DAP (18-46-0) and MAP (11-52-0) are made by reacting phosphoric acid with ammonia and granulating the slurry. Phosphoric acid in turn comes from dissolving phosphate rock in sulphuric acid made from sulphur. They carry most of the phosphorus used on farms: world fertiliser use was 47.8 Mt P2O5 in 2025 (USGS). DAP is India's second fertiliser after urea, and India imported about two-thirds of the 9.40 Mt it used in FY2026. Prices swing with sulphur, ammonia and Chinese export policy, and every swing lands on India's subsidy bill.
Volume about 60 Mt of DAP and MAP product a year (indicative, basis: roughly 58% of 47.8 Mt P2O5 fertiliser use in 2025 at an average 48% P2O5; not a published total) Market value about $40 billion a year (indicative, basis: about 60 Mt x the 2025 World Bank DAP average of $685/t) Growth phosphate fertiliser use projected to rise from 47.8 Mt P2O5 (2025) to 51.5 Mt (2029), about 2% a year USGS MCS 2026, Phosphate Rock; World Bank Pink Sheet (Oct 2026); derivedKey uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct application to cereals and rice (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China) | n/a | India alone sold 9.40 Mt of DAP in FY2026basis | DAP is the densest common source of phosphorus plus some nitrogen in one granule. It stores well, spreads easily and suits basal application at sowing. In India its retail price is controlled and supported by the nutrient-based subsidy, which keeps it the default P source for wheat and paddy. Chambal Fertilisers MD&A FY2026; Vision IAS / Indian Express (30 Jun 2025) | NPK complexes Single superphosphate (SSP) Ammonium phosphate sulphate (APS, 20-20-0-13) TSP |
| MAP for soybeans, maize and blends (Brazil, North America) | n/a | not published; Brazil is the largest MAP importerbasis | MAP has more P and less N than DAP, so it blends well into NPK mixes and suits soybeans, which fix their own nitrogen. Its lower ammonia content makes it less likely to burn seedlings when placed close to the seed. CRU, DAP/MAP prices fall but upside expected in early 2026 (Nov 2025) | TSP SSP NPS and NP grades from China |
| Feedstock for bulk blends and NPK granulation | n/a | India's NPKS complex sales rose from 11.07 Mt (FY2024) to 14.21 Mt (FY2025)basis | Blenders mix DAP or MAP with potash and urea to hit crop-specific grades. In India, high DAP import costs and subsidy design pushed farmers toward NPK complexes and SSP in 2024-25. Indian Express via Vision IAS (30 Jun 2025) | Compound NPK made directly from phosphoric acid Nitrophosphates |
| Technical and industrial grades (fire retardants, food and feed, LFP precursors) | n/a | small; not publishedbasis | Purified MAP is used in dry-powder fire extinguishers and forest fire retardants; technical MAP is also an input for some lithium iron phosphate routes. These grades sell at premiums to fertiliser grades. EU CRM study 2023 (via phosphate tile) | Ammonium polyphosphate Purified phosphoric acid |
From raw material to user
- Phosphate rock mining World output was about 250 Mt of marketable rock in 2025, led by China (110 Mt) and Morocco (36 Mt) (USGS MCS 2026).
- Sulphur to sulphuric acid Sulphur is burned to SO2 and converted to acid; about 0.4 t of sulphur goes into each tonne of DAP (indicative, basis: about 2.7 t H2SO4 per t P2O5).
- Wet-process phosphoric acid Rock is digested in sulphuric acid, leaving about 5 t of phosphogypsum per t P2O5 (indicative). World phosphate capacity was 63.7 Mt P2O5 in 2025 (USGS).
- Ammoniation and granulation Acid is neutralised with ammonia in a pipe reactor and granulator: about 0.22 t NH3 per t DAP and 0.13 t per t MAP (stoichiometry).
- Bulk shipment and bagging Granules move in bulk carriers from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia; India imported 6.22 Mt of DAP in FY2026 (Chambal MD&A).
- Retail at controlled or market prices In India DAP sells at a controlled MRP with the NBS subsidy; CRU (Nov 2025) described a theoretical rise in the DAP subsidy rate from Rs 27,800/t to Rs 29,805/t for rabi 2025-26.
Made from (commodity table)
P Phosphate rockS SulfurGas Natural gasThree things to know
- DAP is a sulphur and ammonia product as much as a phosphate one: in September 2026 rock, sulphur and ammonia made up about $680 of an $800/t DAP price (indicative).
- India is the swing buyer, importing 6.22 Mt of DAP in FY2026, about two-thirds of its use (Chambal MD&A).
- China's export licences decide world supply: India's DAP imports from China fell from 2.29 Mt in FY2024 to 0.84 Mt in FY2025 (Indian Express, 2025).