Indianapolis — Indiana Governor Mike Pence said May 17 that Indiana has withdrawn the incentives the state offered to Midwest Fertilizer Co. to build a fertilizer plant in Posey County. Midwest is backed by Pakistan’s Fatima Group, which has come under fire for its “less than cooperative” efforts to reduce the improvised explosive device (IED) threat in Central and South Asia. Once in office in January, Pence directed state authorities to place the incentives on hold pending review. While Fatima has recently taken steps to overcome Pence’s concerns, they were not enough. "While we have been encouraged by promises made by Fatima Group to replace production of their current fertilizer with a more inert and less explosive formula in Pakistan, at this point in time, U.S. officials have not been able to independently confirm this fact and, as such, Indiana will not be moving forward with this project,” said Pence. "Without assurances from our Defense Department that the materials which have been misused by the enemy in Afghanistan will be permanently removed from production by Fatima Group in Pakistan, I cannot in good conscience tell our soldiers and their families that this deal should move forward."
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain