FERTILIZER INDUSTRY

Fertilizer Industry

The Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI) was set up in 1961. The setting up of the National Fertilizer Ltd (NFL) in 1974 gave a further boost to the industry. Later both FCI and NFL were organized into four companies on the basis of feedstock and geographical factors.

At present there are eight public sector undertakings under the administrative control of department of Fertilizers.

· FCI has four units in operation, one each at Sindri (Jharkhand), Gorakhpur ( Uttar Pradesh), Talcher( Orissa) and Ramgundam ( A.P), with total installed capacity of 5.87 lakh tones of nitrogen.

· NFL has six operating units – At Nanagal, Bhatinda, Panipat, Vijaypur and Vijaypur Expansion. Nangal has 2 units.

· Rashtriya chemicals and fertilizers (RCF) ltd is operating five fertilizer plants at Trombay and large the RCF plants is 9.55 LMT

· The Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), Udyogamandal ( Kerala) has three operating units, one at Udyogamandal & two at Cochin.

· Madras Fertilizers Ltd (MFL) is a joint venture with the Government of India holding 58.74 per cent of the equity share capital, the National Iranian Oil Company holding 25.44 per cent and public equity holding at 15.82 per cent.

· Projects and Development India Ltd (PDIL) is engaged in design engineering, procurement and supervision of construction/commissioning of fertilizer and allied chemical plants. The company has played a pioneering role in developing the know-how for manufacture of catalysis in India.

· Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Ltd ( BVFCL) has been constituted into a new company from April 1, 2002 after hiving off the Jodhpur Mining Organization from Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd ( FCIL)

Two public sector fertilizer companies – 1.Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd and fertilizer Corporation Of India Limited ( FCIL)

2. Pyrites, Phosphate and chemicals Lit (PPCL) – were closed in 2002 after they were not found to be techno-economically viable.

Indian farmers Fertilizer Cooperation Ltd. (IFFCO and Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO) are multi-state cooperative societies under the administrative control of the department of Fertilizers. IFFCO has six operating units, one each at Kalol & Kandala (Gujarat) & Phulpur, Phulpur expansion has gas-based urea-ammonia plant at Hazira in Gujarat.