Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF), Karnataka’s only chemical fertilizer manufacturer, has resumed production amid the lockdown, at a time when weathermen have predicted normal monsoons this year.
The plant was closed for a few days for annual maintenance before the resumption of production, and it is confident of taking care of the fertilizer requirements of farmers for the upcoming kharif season. The Union and State governments have been supportive since fertilizers fall in the category of essential commodities, an MCF official told The Hindu .
The plant has a monthly production capacity of about 36,000 tonnes of urea and 25,000 tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP), which are predominantly used by farmers, and about 1,500 tonnes of ammonium bicarbonate, which is used in the manufacturing of biscuits. MCF is one of the only two plants that produce ammonium bicarbonate in the country, the official said.
MCF expects to produce about 16,000 tonnes of urea this month, and the full capacity in May, provided there is no shortage of water, as witnessed during earlier summers, the official said. It is awaiting the arrival of phosphoric acid and ammonia to resume DAP production.
While the Centre gives the movement plan for fertilizers produced across the country, a major share of MCF production (about 70%) is supplied within Karnataka, and the rest to neighbouring States.
The official also said MCF has taken all safety precautions, as advised by the Union and State governments, including deploying only 50% of the workforce, maintaining good sanitation, social distancing, and hygiene during the three shifts. Meanwhile, the supply chain is ready to transport fertilizers to the designated places.
The plant was temporarily shut down in 2014-15 following the Centre’s decision to discontinue subsidy for naphtha, the feedstock for urea production. It resumed production in 2015 after the intervention of the then Union Minister, the late H.N. Ananth Kumar. Once the Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) pipeline is complete in a couple of months, the plant will shift to RLNG as its feedstock.
