FACT to close down Caprolactum, Ammonium Sulphate plants

Kochi, Jul 3 (UNI) Following a steep hike in the price of sulphur and rock phosphate, Fertiliser and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) is halting production at its Caprolactum and Ammonium Sulphate plants from this month, senior officials of the PSU said.

''We have given directions for the two plants to be closed down.

There has been a 100 per cent increase in the cost of sulphur from US a tonne to US8, making the production cost unbearably high,'' senior FACT officials told UNI here today.

The price of another raw material, rock phosphate, had also gone up from US to US5.

The company's annual requirement of sulphur and rock phosphate is 200,000 tonnes and 300,000 tonnes respectively However, production at the main Factamfos plant, which has an annual production capacity of 700,000 tonnes would continue, the officials said.

While the production capacity of the Caprolactum plant is about 50,000 tonnes per year that of the Ammonium Sulphate plant is 200,000 tonnes.

FACT depends on sulphur imports from the Middle East, the US and Canada.

''We will wait till the prices come down to a reasonable level before starting production at these two plants,'' Mr Raghavan added.

UNI