The Rajasthan state government on Jan. 21 signed a tripartite agreement for a feasibility study for solution potash mining in the Nagaur-Ganganagar area, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Other signatories were Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd. and the Mineral Exploration Corp. Ltd. (MECL) of the Government of India. The agreement advances plans announced in late 2019 (GM Nov. 22, 2019).
“We will be able to become self-sufficient in the field of this mineral through the deposits of potash spread in the Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, and Bikaner region of Rajasthan,” said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a statement. “The Memorandum of Understanding today will prove to be a step towards the mining of potash.”
Union Coal and Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi said the Geological Survey of India and MECL, in their preliminary study, have assessed the availability of about 250 million mt of mineral potash in this basin, adding that the central government will fully support Rajasthan in the field of mining.
Today, India is completely dependent on the import of approximately 5 million mt/y of potash.