Chambal Fertilisers
Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (Chambal) is one of the largest private sector fertilizer producers in India. It was promoted by Zuari Industries Limited in the year 1985. Its two hi-tech nitrogenous fertiliser (urea) plants are located at Gadepan in Kota district of Rajasthan. The two plants produce about 2 million MT of Urea per annum. The first plant was commissioned in 1993 and second plant in 1999. These plants use state-of-the-art technology from Denmark, Italy, United States and Japan.
Chambal caters to the need of the farmers in eleven states in northern, eastern, central and western regions of India and is the lead fertiliser supplier in the State of Rajasthan. The Company has a vast marketing network comprising 13 regional offices, 1,700 dealers and 20,000 village level outlets.
The Company has donned the mantle of providing all agri-products through a 'single window' to enable the farmer to buy all products from one source. The Company dealers provide Urea and other agri-inputs like diammonium phosphate (DAP), muriate of potash (MOP), single super phosphate (SSP), pesticides and seeds. Most of these products are sourced from reputed suppliers and sold under the 'Uttam' umbrella brand. Today, the Company has attained a leadership position in the pesticide business in North India.
To promote sustainable farming practices, Chambal has a well structured farmer advisory programme known as 'Uttam Bandhan'. Under this programme, the company organizes crop seminars, product and field demonstrations and farmer meets. Soil and water analysis is also conducted for free at Chambal's laboratories and based on the results; Chambal experts emphasize on balance use of fertilisers.
To encourage the new age farmer, a website, 'uttamkrishi.com',[1] provides information on the weather, suitable cropping techniques and markets in Hindi language. Hello Uttam[2] toll-free telephonic helplines have been set up to answer the queries raised by farmers. Unemployed youth from villages are enrolled as 'Uttam Krishi Salhakars'. They are trained in the latest farming techniques and provide specialised services to farmers.
The company has won the Sword of Honour from the British Safety Council for two consecutive years. It has been awarded ISO 14001 (Environment Management System Standard), ISO 9001 (Quality Management System Standard) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard) certifications.
Chambal is committed to its social responsibilities[3] and has invested in water harvesting, healthcare, rural infrastructure, education and women empowerment. It also provides education aid to rural schools. A mobile medical unit with a doctor visits 22 villages in the vicinity of its plants, providing free check-ups and medication. Chambal constantly tries to improve the quality of life in the areas it operates in. The Company won the coveted Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in the year 2009-10.
Today, Chambal Fertilisers has consolidated its position in agri-business and diversified into other sectors. Its shipping division under the name India Steamship operates 5 Aframax tankers with a combined capacity of over 5,00,000 DWT. Birla Textile Mills is the textile division of Chambal Fertilisers, located at Baddi, in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The mill has a state-of-the-art spinning unit with a capacity of over 83,000 spindles.
In addition, Chambal Fertilisers has other business interests through its subsidiary in the software sector. It also has a joint venture in Morocco for manufacturing phosphoric acid.