Lack of natural gas, equipment affects fertiliser production

Our Economy Bureau
13 November 2002

New Delhi: The estimated production of fertilisers during September 2002 was 9.12 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of nitrogen against the target of 9.75 lakh MT, and that of phosphate was 4.16 lakh MT against the target of 4.22 lakh MT.

The production of both nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilisers was less than the target mainly on account of a lesser supply of natural gas and its lean quality, due to which the production was affected in all gas-based plants. The Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF) plant in Trombay and one stream of the Krishak Bharati Cooperative (KRIBHCO) plant in Hazira (with effect from 24 June 2002) remained closed due to the shortage of gas.

The production in the corresponding month of the last year was 9.55 lakh MT of nitrogen and that of phosphate was 3.42 lakh MT.

The plants of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) in Kochi, Fertiliser Corporation of India (FCI) in Sindri, Nevyeli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in Neyveli and Duncans Industries (DIL) in Kanpur were under unscheduled shutdown, inter alia, due to equipment problems.

The production was less than the target due to equipment maintenance in National Fertilisers, Panipat, and equipment problems in Madras Fertilisers (MFL), Chennai, Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation (HFC), Namrup-III and Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), Phulpur-I.

Similarly, the di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) production was affected due to a shortage of raw materials and marketing constraints in all the DAP plants, and the production was less than the target in all complex fertiliser plants due to a high inventory. In product terms, the production of urea was 16.23 lakh MT against the target of 16.74 lakh MT and that of DAP was 4.28 lakh MT against the target of 5.89 lakh MT.