Urea sales up in kharif season

Urea sales in kharif season (April-September) this year have increased by 10 lakh tonne to 107.7 lakh tonne from 97.8 lakh tonne during the last season.

Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) sales have reached 25.2 lakh tonne from 23.7 lakh tonne and a slight increase has been recorded in the sales of Muriate of Potassium (MOP) that touched 11.4 lakh tonne, compared with 10.8 lakh tonne during the last kharif.

The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) said there might be a slight variation in the consumption figure due to stock with the farmers. The demand in the kharif season was high, but there was shortage in some areas due to unavailability.

"The production of urea has increased last year, but DAP production has gone down. The Paradip Phosphate plant was the major producer of DAP.

But after its acquisition by the Indian Farmers' Fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco), the company has stopped production and going through the renovation and modernisation work," said an FAI official.

The MOP is imported from Canada, Germany, middle east and CIS countries. India, third largest producer of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphate(P2O5), has higher consumption level also.

In April 2004-March 05, the production of N was 117.1 lakh tonne.

Phosphate (46.2 lakh tonne) and potash (20.6 lakh tonne) production is also increasing year by year.

The total production of fertiliser in 2004-05 was 206 lakh tonne, according to the FAI data.

The acreage of Kharif sowing for the crop year 2005-06 was high for rice, cotton, sugarcane, sunflower and castor seed.

Acreage increase has enhanced the use of fertilisers.

The support of the good weather also instigated the sale. Earlier, the farmers were sceptical about the out put because of the delayed monsoon.

However, subsequent rains caught up to free the farmers from anxiety.