Fertilizer sector needed additional Rs 14000 crores on subsidy

New Delhi, May 25 (UNI) The Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today revealed that for maintaining the fertilizer subsidy during the current year the Government required an additional amount of Rs 14322 crores.

Talking to newsperson here on the completion of the UPA Government's two years at the Centre Mr Paswan said it is estimated that during the current fiscal the subsidy will cost the Government to the extent of Rs 25661 crores. Not only that the government has the previous liability of paying Rs 5906 crores towards subsidy. As a result the total fund that would be required to meet the subsidy element on fertilizer will be to the tune of Rs 31,575 crores while the budgetary provision is just Rs 17,252 crores, he added.

He said during 2005-06 Rs 18,299 crores of subsidy is being paid on fertilizer.

Mr Paswan said his Ministry will now write a letter to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to apprise him about the position of the fertilizer subsidy so that the Government should extend additional support to this sector to meet this challenge.

He said during the current year the demand for Urea will be to the extent of 242 lakh tonnes and in the just concluded financial year its availability in the country was just to the tune of 231.39 lakh tonnes, while the sales were in the range of 221.91 crore lakh tonnes, he added.

UNI/BKS MP KP1706