The government today issued bonds worth Rs 4,000 crore to 16 fertiliser companies to compensate them for selling the key agricultural input to farmers at low prices.
The 14-year special bonds carry a coupon rate of 6.20 per cent.
Of the bonds, the largest share was issued to Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative, which got more than half of the worth of total bonds. The cooperative got bonds worth Rs 2,106 crore.
Other firms which got bonds include Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals, Tata Chemicals, Gujarat State Ferilizers and Chemicals, Rashtriya Chemials and Fertilisers, Indian Potash and Paradeep Phosphates.
Earlier this month, the Centre got parliamentary approval for an additional subsidy of Rs 6,000 crore to the fertiliser sector in the second supplementary demand for grants, taking the total for this purpose to nearly Rs 89,000 crore this year.
