India has earmarked an extra 650 billion rupees ($8.71 billion) in fertilizer subsidies for the current fiscal year, begun in April, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. The government has decided to allocate the extra subsidy to ensure that there is adequate availability of fertilizer to farmers, Sitharaman said while announcing a third round of fiscal stimulus to help stressed sectors battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Fertilizer demand starts picking up in October and November, when farmers plant their winter crops such as wheat and rapeseed.