Madhya Pradesh to get fertiliser plants in Jabalpur, Jhabua

BHOPAL: Union minister for chemicals and fertilizers Ananth Kumar on Friday said that Madhya Pradesh would soon get two fertilizer plants with a total production capacity of 26 lakh ton. Ananth Kumar was on a day’s visit here to lay the foundation stone of a Plastic Park in Mandideep in Raisen district. Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, he said, “Two fertilizer plants in Jabalpur and Jhabua will be set-up to resolve the fertiliser demand and supply gap in the state.”
He said that the Union government would spend Rs 11,000 crore to set-up the plants.“Madhya Pradesh requires 20 lakh ton of urea for its agricultural sector. Our aim is to produce as much fertilizer within the state so that demand can be met. Hence, two fertilizer plants with a production capacity of 13 lakh ton will be set-up,” he said.
Ananth Kumar argued that the dual fertilizer plants will prove to be a boon for farmers of the state and is a gift from the Union government. “This will generate employment and resolve the fertilizer crisis as the state will produce its own urea,” he explained.
The Union minister is known to be a close friend of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and has been BJP national general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh for nearly a decade before joining the Narendra Modi Centre. During UPA regime, Ananth Kumar has often joined chief minister Chouhan to demand fertilizer supply from the Union government.
As Chouhan concentrated on policies to benefit the agricultural sector, Ananth Kumar as state BJP in-charge was aware of hiccups that proved hindrance for the farming community in the state. Every year, meeting supply and distribution of fertilizers proved a major concern for the government. It is no surprise, therefore, why Madhya Pradesh has been prioritized by the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers for urea factories.