India: High Level meeting held to improve fertilizer availability

A high-level fertilizer meeting was convened by South Central Railway to plan for adequate availability of fertilizer for the coming season.

Agenda of the meeting was to plan for the transportation of fertilizer to the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by way of the faster evacuation of imported fertilizer from the ports of Kakinada, Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram.

In view of the state governments projection of increased irrigation facilities in the coming months, Agriculture Department Principal Secretary Partha Sarathy requested Railways to increase the rail unloading points in Telangana and the Railways has indicated various additional unloading points that the fertilizer companies can explore. Fertilizer companies have agreed to consider the new unloading points to ensure fertilizer reached the market in the quickest possible time.

From Railways, K Siva Prasad Principal Chief Operations Manager, G John Prasad, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, SCR, Manoj Shrivastava, Executive Director / Railway Board, Nagya, Chief Freight Traffic Manager, Christopher, Chief Commercial Manager, Freight Service attended the meeting. Partha Sarathy, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Telangana State, Rahul Bojja, Commissioner Agriculture, Vijay Kumar, Addl Director, Agriculture attended the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by officials from Kakinada Port and all the major fertilizer companies like IFFCO, IPL, Zuari, Kribco, NFCL and CFL.