Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a Rs. 10,601-crore ammonia-urea fertiliser plant at Namrup in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, marking a major expansion of fertiliser manufacturing capacity in the Northeast.
The brownfield project is slated to be commissioned by 2030.
The new facility, to be developed by Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL), will come up within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Ltd (BVFCL).
Once operational, it will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, significantly strengthening fertiliser availability in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country.
AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in July this year following approval of the project by the Union Cabinet in March.
The company is a joint venture involving the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd and BVFCL.
The foundation stone was laid on the final day of Modi’s two-day visit to Assam, during which he unveiled and inaugurated multiple development projects cumulatively valued at over Rs. 15,600 crore, ahead of the state assembly elections next year.
In a statement, AVFCCL said the Namrup ammonia-urea project is being designed as a modern, energy-efficient and world-class fertiliser complex.
Beyond meeting fertiliser demand in Assam, the Northeast, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, the project is expected to drive industrial growth and employment generation, creating hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect opportunities.
The company said the project also signals the revival of Namrup’s long-standing role in India’s fertiliser sector, ushering in a new phase of growth, sustainability and agricultural development for the region.
The ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ ceremony was attended by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations.
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BVFCL, the only urea-producing facility in eastern India, began operations in January 1969 as part of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation Ltd.
It was carved out as a separate entity in April 2002 and is currently under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, with the Government of India holding 100 per cent equity.
The Namrup complex is regarded as India’s first fertiliser factory to use associated natural gas as a primary raw material for producing nitrogenous fertilisers.
Officials said the company has played a key role in supporting farmers in the Northeast by supplying urea manufactured from locally available domestic natural gas.
According to the Department of Fertilisers, BVFCL currently produces neem-coated urea and organic fertilisers, including liquid bio-fertiliser and vermicompost, marketed under the brand name ‘Mukta’.
The company operates two ammonia-urea units at Namrup with relatively small capacities, established in 1976 and 1987.
