Fertiliser Ministry seeks low-cost loans from bank to bear subsidy burden

31 Dec 2012 Evaluate

With the fertiliser subsidy bill expected to shoot to Rs 104,000 crore this financial year, the fertiliser ministry has asked the finance ministry to make a short-term arrangement of up to Rs 25,000 crore for fertiliser firms under a special banking arrangement to pay part of the increasing fertiliser subsidy bill.

The fertiliser ministry, which is facing a shortage of funds to pay the industry’s subsidy bills, indicated that the temporary arrangement will help cash-strapped fertiliser firms to stay afloat by borrowing funds from public sector banks at lower rates.  Further, the fertiliser subsidy bill, which has crossed one lakh crore this fiscal, if approved the subsidy bill in 2013-14 fiscal will be much less. Moreover, this arrangement would also help the finance ministry keep the fiscal deficit under check in 2012-13.

Since July, the ministry has not paid the subsidy bills for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers like muriate of poatsh (MoP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and also for urea since August. Only for imported urea, which is on government account, the payment is made up-front.

As per industry-body, Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) Director General Satish Chander, ‘the budget allocation of Rs 60,974 crore for fertiliser subsidy as approved by Parliament has already been exhausted. An estimated amount of Rs 19,000 crore subsidy payment is outstanding for the period till October, 2012.’ By adding further he said, there is an urgent need for additional funds of about Rs 38,000-40,000 crore to save the fertiliser industry from the current financial crisis and enable it to continue operations and supply fertilisers to the farmers.

In 2008-09, similar banking arrangements were made, which has helped fertiliser companies to recover their subsidy. Further Chander said that, industry is prepared to share the interest burden beyond 9 percent and up to 9 percent be taken by the government. 

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