IFFCO crosses fertiliser production target in Apr-Nov

NEW DELHI: The government today said fertiliser cooperative IFFCO has crossed the 51.47 lakh tonne production-mark during the April-November period of this fiscal.

"IFFCO plants have achieved the targeted production during April-November of the current year 2009-10," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertiliser Srikant Kumar Jena told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Fertiliser production from seven units of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) increased to 55.05 lakh tonnes (LT) in the first eight months of this fiscal, he said. Last year, IFFCO could not meet the production target due to non-availablity of adequate natural gas, unforeseen shutdowns and shortage of raw materials coupled with fluctuation in international prices, the minister noted.

IFFCO was able to produce 71.68 LT of fertiliser in 2008-09 against the target of 77.06 LT, he added.

However, there was an improvement this year. During April-November, the Kandla unit reported a maximum increase in production to 17 LT against the target of 12.67 LT.

Production at Kalol stood at 4.07 LT against the target of 4.02 LT, while Phulpur and Aonla units in Uttar Pradesh showed a marginal increase in production.

However, fertiliser production at Paradeep unit in Orissa was 9.85 LT, below the target of 10.60 LT, it added.

IFFCO has an installed capacity to manufacture 80.21 LT of fertiliser. It produces mainly urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and NPK grades.