Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday lay the foundation stone for a Rs 10,600-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant at Namrup in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, a project aimed at strengthening fertiliser availability across the Northeast and reducing India’s dependence on imports.
The Prime Minister arrived in Assam on Saturday for a two-day visit during which he is set to unveil and inaugurate projects worth around Rs 15,600 crore, barely months ahead of the state Assembly elections due early next year.
According to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the new fertiliser unit will come up within the existing premises of Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited (BVFCL). The project will be executed by Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited (AVFCCL), a joint venture involving the Assam government, Oil India Limited, National Fertilisers Limited, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited and BVFCL.
“Furthering the Prime Minister’s vision of farmers’ welfare, the project will meet fertiliser requirements of Assam and neighbouring states, reduce import dependence, generate substantial employment and catalyse regional economic development,” the PMO said.
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The upcoming facility is expected to play a critical role in the industrial revival of Upper Assam while providing long-term support to farmers in the region. Following the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ ceremony, Modi will also address a public meeting, which is likely to draw thousands from several districts of Upper Assam.
AVFCCL was incorporated in July this year, after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for setting up a new urea plant at Namrup in March. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier announced the project in the Union Budget, stating that the plant would have an annual capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes.
BVFCL, the only urea-manufacturing facility in eastern India, began operations in 1969 and was reorganised in 2002 after being hived off from Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation Limited. The company operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and uses domestically available natural gas as its primary raw material.
Over the decades, BVFCL has played a significant role in supporting agriculture in the Northeast, producing neem-coated urea and organic fertilisers, besides trading in other essential fertiliser products.
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