India imported 18.4 lakh tonnes of urea and 30.64 lakh tonnes of other fertilisers, including di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP), during the April-July period this fiscal.

The country imported a total of 66.10 lakh tonnes of urea and 131.78 lakh tonnes of other fertilisers in the entire 2010—11 fiscal, according to government data.

The import of DAP stood at 20.16 lakh tonnes till July in the current fiscal, as against 74.11 lakh tonnes in the 2010—11 fiscal. Import of MOP in the first four months of this fiscal stood at 3.05 lakh tonnes, compared to 45 lakh tonnes in the previous fiscal.

The country had imported 1.06 lakh tonnes of MAP (mono—ammonium phosphate) and 6.37 lakh tonnes of various grades of fertilisers till July in the 2011—12 fiscal.

Domestic production of urea is stagnant at 210 lakh tonnes.

To encourage phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertiliser production in the country, the government has reduced customs duty on phosphoric acid, an important ingredient, from 5 per cent to 2 per cent.

The government has also announced a Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) on P&K fertilisers (such as DAP and MOP) with effect from April 1, 2010, to boost indigenous production.

Earlier this month, a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee cleared a proposal to free prices of urea and bring it under the NBS policy.

As per the proposal, the government has decided to raise urea prices by 10 per cent in the first year of the policy, following which the industry would be free to determine prices.

Presently, urea continues to be governed by the New Pricing Scheme—III (NPS—III), which has been extended provisionally until further orders. PTI RNK MJH ARV ARV 08151343

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