Asia
22 April 2026
ICL opens specialty fertiliser plant in India
Written by Natalie Noor-Drugan
ICL Group has opened a new specialty fertiliser production facility in Maharashtra, India, as geopolitical disruption to global shipping routes intensifies pressure on fertiliser supply chains.
The plant will produce Water Soluble Fertilizers (WSF), replicating ICL’s existing production model in Israel. It spans approximately seven acres (28,000 square metres) and is designed to deliver the same product range currently exported from Israel to the Indian market. India’s WSF market has demonstrated high single-digit compound annual growth in recent years, according to customs import data cited by ICL.
The opening comes as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a key global shipping corridor — is disrupting fertiliser supply routes and affecting availability in import-dependent markets. India relies heavily on fertiliser imports, and ICL says the new facility directly addresses supply resilience risks arising from those disruptions.
“With geopolitical tensions disrupting global trade routes and delaying fertilizer shipments through a key corridor such as the Strait of Hormuz, building local production capacity is essential,” said Nir Ilani, President of the Growing Solutions Division of ICL. “This facility enhances India’s supply resilience and ensures farmers have consistent access to high-quality solutions.”
ICL has operated in India for more than three decades, generating approximately $250 million in annual revenues. The new facility supports the Government of India’s Make in India initiative and forms part of ICL’s broader strategy to expand local production in high-growth markets.
The India opening is consistent with a wider strategic refocus announced alongside ICL’s full year 2025 results. The Tel Aviv and New York-listed group reported full year 2025 consolidated sales of $7.15 billion, up 5% on 2024, with adjusted EBITDA of $1.49 billion. Chief executive Elad Aharonson said the company is concentrating resources on two growth engines — specialty crop nutrition and specialty food solutions — while divesting non-core activities. ICL has discontinued its downstream expansion into lithium iron phosphate battery materials and is exploring the sale of its Boulby potash operations in the UK. For 2026, the company is guiding consolidated adjusted EBITDA of between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion.
Image: ICL’s plant in India, courtesy of ICL Group.
