"In last decade, urea production rose to 310 lakh metric tonnes": PM Modi in Jharkhand

New Delhi [India], March 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated to the nation the Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd. (HURL) Sindri Fertiliser Plant in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, saying urea production has risen to 310 lakh metric tonnes over the last ten years.
Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation for the fertiliser plant in 2018.

Addressing a massive gathering in Dhanbad on Friday, he said the fertiliser plant will hasten the country's journey towards self-reliance.
He said while the urea requirement for the country in a year is about 360 lakh metric tonnes, it was only producing 225 lakh metric tonnes of urea in 2014. The massive deficit between demand and supply necessitated huge imports, PM Modi noted.
"Due to the sustained efforts of our government, the production of urea over the last 10 years has risen to 310 lakh metric tonnes," PM Modi added.
The inauguration of this plant will open up new avenues of employment for the local youth, PM Modi said, adding the revival of Ramagundam, Gorakhpur and Barauni fertiliser plants has also been accomplished and the Sindri plant is the newest addition to the list.
Prime Minister Modi stated that the Talcher fertiliser plant will also start operations next year, adding that these five plants would together produce 60 lakh metric tonnes of urea, taking the country towards Aatamnirbharta (self-reliance) in this critical space.
Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) is a Joint Venture Company of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), namely, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL), Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and FCIL/HFCL, which was incorporated on June 15, 2016. The Sindri fertiliser plant was given a makeover by setting up a new ammonia-urea plant with an installed capacity of 12.7 LMT per annum. The Sindri plant started urea production on November 5, 2022.
HURL was entrusted with the responsibility of setting up new ammonia-urea plants in Sindri with a capacity of 2200 TPD ammonia and 3850 TPD neem-coated urea, with an investment of Rs 8939.25 crore and equity participation of 29.67 per cent each by NTPC, IOCL and CIL and 11 per cent by FCIL.
Setting up a state-of-the-art gas-based Sindri plant was part of the initiatives taken by the government to revive the closed urea units of Fertiliser Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) and Hindustan Fertilisers Corporation Ltd. (HFCL) to achieve self-sufficiency in the urea sector.
Revival of closed units of FCIL and HFCL has been on the top priority agenda of the government to augment the availability of domestically produced urea. The Sindri plant will add 12.7 LMT per annum of indigenous urea production in the country, thereby helping realise Prime Minister Modi's vision to make India 'Atma Nirbhar' in the urea sector.
The plant aims to ensure an adequate supply of urea to farmers in Jharkhand as well as in neighbouring West Bengal, Odisha, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. The plant will not only improve the availability of fertiliser but also boost overall economic development in the region, including the development of infrastructure such as roads, railways and ancillary industries, among others.
The plant would provide 450 direct and 1,000 indirect employment opportunities in the region. Apart from this, the region will benefit from the development of MSME vendors for the supply of various goods for the factory, according to an official release.
As India gears to take initiatives towards an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' forward, HURL's 'Bharat Urea' will provide a tremendous boost to the economy by not only reducing imports but also by giving an impetus to the local farmers' timely supply of fertilisers and extension services, the release added.