‘Historic day for Assam’: Himanta hails new urea plant in Namrup as ‘game changer’ for NE

Guwahati, Feb 1 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday hailed the announcement of a urea plant in the state in the Union Budget for 2025-26, stating that it would be a “game changer” for the entire Northeast.

He said it was a long-standing demand of the people of the state.

“What a historic day for Assam! #UnionBudget2025 has announced a 12.7 lakh MT urea plant in Namrup, a long-standing demand of the people of Assam,” he said in a post on X.

It will not only help the state achieve self-sufficiency in fertiliser availability but also better channelise the natural gas resources, he added.

“After the semiconductor plant in Jagiroad, this urea facility will be a game changer for the entire North East. On behalf of the people of Assam my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji and Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt @nsitharaman Ji,” Sarma said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech, said that for self-sufficiency, the government had reopened three dormant urea plants in the eastern region.

“To further augment urea supply, a plant with annual capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tons will be set up at Namrup, Assam,” she added.

PSU Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corp Ltd (BVFCL) is the only urea-making facility in the entire eastern India. The facility started production in January 1969 as a part of the Hindustan Fertilizer Corp Ltd (HFCL).

BVFCL was formed in April 2002 after hiving off the Namrup Unit of HFCL. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers with 100 per cent shareholding by the Government of India. It is the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.

Lauding the budget as pro-people, Sarma said the income tax proposals are remarkable for the middle-class segment of the country.

“It declared crores of people earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually as tax free. It will give a huge relief to the middle-class people. I thank the PM and FM for this step,” he added.