MCF to halt production of urea till monsoon

The Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) started shutting down urea production on Friday evening, following severe water shortage. The move is likely to affect the kharif sowing season as it caters to 80% of the state’s fertiliser requirement.

An official in the MCF said that according to an agreement with the Mangaluru City Corporation, the MCF gets 2 MLD water from Thumbe vented dam. However, water supply to the MCF had been coming down since February due to the deplete in the water-levels at Thumbe dam, prompting the MCF to reduce their production by 35%.

“Urea production requires a lot of water, and since there is a lack of water supply, they cannot produce urea. Production cannot resume before the onset of monsoon, when the dam is full and water will be released to the industries,” said the official.

The shutting down will not only affect the sowing season, but also the industry which will lose in terms of profit and wastage of raw materials. The MCF produces 1,200 tonnes of urea and 1,000 tonnes of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) daily.