New Delhi: India has issued a tender to buy 1.7 million tonnes of urea ahead of its main sowing season.This is the second tender for urea that the largest importer of fertilisers has issued since the beginning of the West Asia crisis. It had issued a tender for 2.5 million tonnes of the nitrogen fertiliser in early April.Also read: India races to secure fertilisers as crucial sowing season approaches amid war disruptionsNational Fertilizers Ltd, a state-run producer that also imports the crop nutrient for the government, issued the tender for 900,000 tonnes to be delivered through the country's west coast and the rest via the east coast, according to a notice posted on its website on Wednesday.The shipments should leave the loading port by July 20, the tender said.Urea imports in India are handled through a structured electronic bidding process run by state trading firms such as Indian Potash Ltd, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd and National Fertilizers Ltd.Also read: India's fertilizer subsidy may cross ₹3 lakh crore if West Asia crisis prolongsThese firms act as the main purchasing entities on behalf of the Government of India. Global bids are submitted on a government portal. Purchase takes place based on several metrics such as prices and date of arrival.Urea is the most-used soil nutrient in India, accounting for 45% of fertiliser consumption. It is applied right after planting, around the end of June. A key raw material for urea is natural gas, around 80% of which is largely imported from the Middle East. The Iran war has disrupted gas supplies from the region as well.Domestic urea production is about 9.5 million metric tonnes and another about 2.26 MMT of imports have also reached the country, taking the total to 11.76 MMT, according to the government.