Oman: The Oman India Fertiliser Co. (OMIFCO) launched a new bagging unit for urea on Feb. 6. The unit will cater to the demands of regional markets. Earlier, to make the distribution system more streamlined and efficient, the company contracted Takamul Investment Co. to distribute the urea in the domestic markets. OMIFCO is owned 50 percent by Oman Oil Co. (OOC), 25 percent by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO), and 25 percent by Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd. (KRIBHCO). The plant, which has capacity of 1.652 million mt of urea, is located in Oman’s Sur Industrial Area.
Pakistan: The country’s total production of urea, DAP, and other fertilizer during calendar year (CY) 2011 fell by 3 percent to 6.56 million mt. This figure could have been down further had it not been for additional Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) supply coming in from Fatima Fertilizer, as the company doubled its production of that fertilizer during CY11. Production from the country’s DAP plant, Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim, remained stable, growing by 2 percent year-over-year (YoY), according to data released by InvestCap Research and the National Fertilizer Development Co. (NDFC). The breakdown showed that urea production stood at 4.890 million mt, translating to a fall of 5 percent on a year-to-year basis, with DAP at 657,000 mt (2 percent growth YoY).
All types of fertilizer consumption in Pakistan during CY 2011 declined by 6 percent to 8.157 million mt, except CAN and NPK. Urea consumption declined by 3 percent to 5.918 million mt, and DAP by over 15 percent to 1.12 million mt. The lack of available locally manufactured urea caused urea consumption to decline, while DAP had the biggest volumetric decline. This highlights the unwillingness of importers to import DAP due to the high price of the commodity in international prices. However, the 34 percent YoY incremental consumption of CAN to 676,000 mt is providing a hint that farmers are using it as a substitute for urea. Other fertilizers observed a fall of 55 percent.