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Fertilizer supply improves in State

KOCHI: Fertilizer supply outlook for Kerala is bright for the ensuing Khariff season with production at Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) touching near normal and a consignment of 23,000 tonnes of urea scheduled to arrive in Kochi early next week.

There will be no shortage of urea and Factfamfos, compound fertiliser from FACT, during the coming season, FACT sources said.

Factamfos sales in Kerala till May 19 topped 10,000 tonnes and sale of another two to three thousand tonnes is expected during the remaining weeks.

It is expected that about 20,000 tonnes of Factamfos will be available in Kerala during the month of June. Together with this, about 18,000 tonnes of the imported urea would be made available in the State, sources said. There was a shortage of DAP which was likely to be met by supplies from Coromandel Fertilisers.

FACT sources discounted reports about a possible shortage of fertilizers during the ensuing season. Factamfos production at the fertilizer company has touched about 90 per cent of the installed capacity now in contrast to the situation three months ago.

Kerala will need between 16 and 18,000 tonnes of Factamfos in the coming months. Requirement for urea will be between 18 and 20,000 tonnes and MoP about 15,000 tonnes. These requirements can easily be met with the current production and import schedules.

The supply situation has improved considerably compared to the beginning of the year when reports indicated that States, including Kerala, would face severe shortage of fertilisers.

Early this year, spiralling price of inputs like sulphur forced FACT, biggest supplier of complex fertilizer Factamfos in South India, to either cut or stop production for about six months. While Factamfos production came down by more than half, production of urea, ammonium sulphate, etc. had been completely shut down.

At present, FACT is meeting the shortage of rock phosphate through import of phosphoric acid from Sterlite.

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