Coromandel International — an agri solutions company from the Murugappa group stable — will set up a sulphuric acid plant at Visakhapatnam with a daily capacity of 1,650 tonne. The facility, which is being set up with an investment of ₹400 crore, will come up at Coromandel’s fertiliser complex there.

“India is a net importer of sulphuric acid, and the third largest importer globally, accounting for close to 20 lakh tonnes of imports,” Arun Alagappan, Executive Vice-Chairman of Coromandel International, said.

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“This investment will improve the self-sufficiency and availability of phosphatic fertiliser in the country,” he said.

Partnership agreements

The company signed technology partnership agreements with MECS (Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems) and TKIS (ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions) in this regard.

The new sulphuric acid plant will increase the sulphuric acid production capacity by a further 5 lakh tonnes a year, taking the total capacity to 6 lakh tonnes a year. It will also help reduce dependence on imports and ensure sustainable production of phosphoric acid, one of the key raw materials for phosphatic fertiliser manufacturing.