By Trend
The construction of the SOCAR Carbamide Plant in Azerbaijan will
minimize the import of urea fertilizers, Khayal Jafarov, director
of the plant, said at the international conference "Argus Mineral
Fertilizers 2019 - Production and Logistics in the Caspian and
Black Sea region" in Baku, Trend reports.
He noted that about 90 percent of the carbamide produced in the
world is used in agriculture, adding that it will be the same in
Azerbaijan.
According to him, since the mid-20th century, Azerbaijan has
become one of the main players in the chemical industry in the
former USSR, especially in fertilizer production.
"Production ceased with the fall of the USSR. However, given the
centuries-old agricultural traditions in Azerbaijan, the government
made the decision to construct a carbamide plant," Jafarov
said.
He noted that the plant was built as part of 2 state programs –
the first being the Food Security Program of Azerbaijan, one of the
main tasks of which “was to minimize imports of carbamide
fertilizers," and the second being the Industry Development
Program.
The SOCAR Carbamide Plant, built on the territory of the Sumgait
chemical industrial park, was commissioned on January 16.
The beginning of production at the SOCAR Carbamide Plant will
eliminate the need to import nitrogen fertilizers, thereby reducing
the country's foreign currency expenditure. While using 435 million
cubic meters of natural gas as raw materials, the plant is capable
of producing 650,000-660,000 tons of carbamide products.
About 70 percent of the production volume accounts for export.
This will enable the country to receive additional income worth up
to $160 million annually. The commissioning of this plant will play
an important role in the development of agriculture in
Azerbaijan.
Carbamide fertilizers have the highest nitrogen content,
therefore, they are considered the highest quality nitrogen
fertilizer.
The demand for carbamide is connected with its low cost,
economical transportation, convenient use, which contributes to
high yields in agriculture. This product is also widely used in the
production of other chemicals and pharmaceutics.
Presently, the SOCAR Carbamide Plant is the biggest project in
the country, implemented in the non-oil sector, its total cost is
about 800 million euros.
The project was initially financed through the funds allocated
from the state budget. During the construction of the plant, a
number of international banks allocated funds in the amount of 500
million euros through the state guarantees.
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