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Prime Minister inaugurates the Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) Sindri Fertilizer Plant at Sindri, Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

PM Inaugurates HURL- Sindri Fertilizer Plant in Jharkhand

• Revival of fertilizer plants: The plants of  Ramagundam, Gorakhpur and Barauni along with  Sindri have been revived and operational with plans for Talcher Fertilizer plant being operational next year.
  • Together they will produce  60 lakh metric tonnes of urea 
• Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL): It is a Joint Venture Company of National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Coal India Ltd (CIL) and FCIL
  • The company was incorporated in 2016 and revived the Sindri Fertilizer Unit by setting up a New Ammonia-Urea Plant with installed capacity of 12.7 LMT per annum. 

• Significance of the HURL- Sindri Fertilizer Plant

• • Atma nirbhar in the urea sector: The government is aiming to revive the closed urea units of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) and Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Ltd (HFCL) to augment the availability of domestically produced urea.
  • Streamlined supply of urea: The plant will ensure adequate supply of urea to the farmers in the state of Jharkhand as well as West Bengal, Odisha, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. 
  • Economic  development: The plant will boost the  overall economic development in the region including development of infrastructure like roads, railways, ancillary industry etc
  • Employment: The plant would provide 450 direct and 1000 indirect employment opportunities in the region and the MSME sector will be developed with  vendors for supply of various goods for the factory.
  • Self Sufficiency: It will provide an impetus to the local farmers by timely supply of fertilizers and extension services and also help in reducing imports.

What Are the Challenges in the Indian Fertilizer Sector?

• Import Dependency: India imports both crude and manufactured fertilizers as well as importing raw materials such as rock phosphate, ammonia, and phosphoric acid.
  •  In FY2022-2023, India imported fertilizers worth over 1.38 trillion Indian rupees.
• Imbalanced Nutrient Application: The indiscriminate usage of urea over other nutrients affects  the nutrient profile of the crop raising  concerns about soil health and agricultural sustainability.
• Subsidy Burdens: Fertiliser subsidies in addition to adding up the  financial stress for the government also leads to  leakages through smuggling for other industrial uses 
• High cost of handling and management: The storage of liquid fertilizers requires high capital investment in the smart storage system as they are soluble in water.

News source: PIB