Overall availability of Urea and other decontrolled fertilizers in the States has been satisfactory. During October 2004, 18.02 lakh MT Urea was despatched to the States against the target of 12.22 lakh MT. Cumulative availability of urea during the current Rabi season by the end of October 2004 has been 26.21 lakh MT and availability was satisfactory in all the States. So far, no State has reported any shortage. Further, the sale of urea during the current Rabi Season upto 31.10.04 was 10.66 lakh MT which was higher by about 43.31 per cent as compared to the sale of 7.44 lakh MT in the corresponding period of the previous year.
As regards decontrolled fertilizers, cumulative availability of DAP and MOP during the current Rabi Season by the end of previous month has been 15.95 lakh MT and 5.44 lakh MT respectively, which was adequate to meet the demand of the States. During the month of October 2004, 1.77 lakh MT of urea, 0.74 lakh MT DAP and 3.70 lakh MT MOP was imported to the country . Thus the cumulative import of urea, DAP and MOP up to 31st October ’04 during the current financial year has been 3.49 lakh MT, 2.58 lakh MT and 17.64 lakh MT respectively.
Meanwhile, production of fertilizers continued to show upward swing. The estimated production of fertilizers during October ’04 was 18.10 lakh MT of urea , 5.09 MT of DAP as against the target of 16.59 lakh MT and 5.96 lakh MT respectively. Cumulative production of Urea and DAP during April–October’04, was 118.18 lakh Mt and 31.30 lakh MT against the target of 113.16 lakh MT and 40.63 lakh MT respectively.
(Release ID :5111)