Why it is in the news
The international price of sulphur has risen nearly four-fold in a year — from $280 per tonne (July 2025) to $1,050 per tonne (July 2026) — according to data analysed by The Hindu on 30 September 2026. A commodity that is mostly a by-product of oil and gas processing has been squeezed by Russia's export ban, the West Asia war and booming demand from battery-metal processing, raising the cost of India's phosphatic fertilisers.
The exam angle
Issue: How can India secure an obscure but critical input like sulphur when its supply is a by-product of other industries and concentrated in a conflict-prone region?