The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : State seeks enough fertilizer for rabi

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Sunday, Dec 30, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

State seeks enough fertilizer for rabi

Special Correspondent

Projected demand for fertilizer is 34 lakh tonnes till March 2008, says Minister

HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy on Saturday impressed upon J.S. Sarma, secretary-Fertilisers, Government of India (GOI), the need for steps to ensure that all possible steps were taken to make available sufficient fertilizer stocks for the Rabi season.

Favourable conditions

At a meeting here on Saturday, he informed the official that a combination of favourable seasonal conditions, pro-active Central and State governments and sheer hard work by the farmers had resulted in good yields during this year’s kharif season.

And given the availability of water, the extent of cropped area in the ensuing rabi also promised to be more than the last rabi, he said. Given such a scenario, it was imperative for the department of Agriculture, GOI to take all steps to ensure that there was no shortage of fertilizers, he stressed.

Mr. Reddy said that till March-end in the year 2008, the projected demand for fertilizer was 34 lakh tonnes and that till November-end of 2007, the State was able to distribute 7.87 lakh tonnes with help from the Centre.

When the minister underscored the need for Central help in reviving the Ramagundam unit of Fertilizer Corporation of India, Mr. Sarma responded saying that the Centre was on track to revive the plant. In the coming two or three years, he said plans were being drawn to get the plant running again, with an estimated Rs. 3,500 crore of investment.

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