The Maharashtra Government has decided to set up a customised fertiliser plant in Ahmednagar district on a public-private partnership basis.
Customised fertilisers are derived by enriching regular fertilisers like urea, di-ammonium phosphate and potash with micro nutrients (sulphur, zinc, and boron). They are customised for specific soil, crop and water conditions.
The State Government-controlled Maharashtra Agro Industries Development Corporation Ltd (MAIDC) would be the lead project manager, according to an official source.
MAIDC is already manufacturing granulated mixed fertiliser and pesticides.
An industry source said MAIDC will first set up a pilot plant with an investment of about Rs 50 crore. Depending on whether it is successful or not, the project would be scaled up eventually.
Studies done by various agriculture universities have shown that customised fertilisers, despite being 40 to 50 per cent more expensive than regular ones, increase crop yield by 100 per cent.
Years of intensive agriculture using standard fertilisers has reduced soil fertility. Customised fertilisers are touted as one of the solutions for gaining back soil health. Currently, preparation of a detailed project report for setting up the plant, techno-economic feasibility studies, finalisation of financial and public-private partnership (PPP) models and selection of concessionaire for the plant are underway, the source said.
All major fertiliser players have announced plans for setting up customised fertiliser plants. Tata Chemicals has taken the lead by setting up a facility for manufacturing customised fertilisers with an annual capacity of 1.3 lakh tonnes at Babrala in Uttar Pradesh.