Fertiliser cos could get Rs 2,700 cr in three years to improve efficiency

05 Jan 2011 Evaluate

Fertilizer companies could get Rs 900 crore every year for next three years as a part of a package to improve efficiency in the sector. The proposal is being considered as part of a new regime for urea, which is primarily expected to benefit non-gas based plants. In view of gas availability constraints, non-gas urea units could be given additional three years to switch to gas. The Rs 900-crore package will be distributed in a manner that will help cut the cost of production at various urea units, bringing them on a par in terms of productivity.

Another proposal under consideration is to bring urea under the nutrient-based subsidy, or NBS, regime. This could mean gradually freeing up the retail price of this vital input. However, indications are that the GoM will not approve an industry proposal to delink retail urea price increase from either the decontrol or the NBS scenario.

Instead, the urea regime being considered has proposed only a price band that will allow 2-3% price hike over the current price of Rs 5,310 per tonne. The government is keen on ensuring that the price of urea does not rise sharply if it is brought under the new NBS regime.

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