Action has already been initiated to augment production at the Nangal unit and improve the quality of its product. NFL has also started looking for a tie-up for financial resources to meet the needs of the expansion projects.

The operating plants of the company are located at Nangal and Bhatinda in Punjab, Panipat in Haryana and Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh. Currently, NFL is one of the largest producers of nitrogenous fertilisers in the country with a market share of 15 per cent.

Recently, the union minister for chemicals and fertilisers, Surjeet Singh Barnala, laid the foundation stone of the urea hydrolyzer treatment project at its Bhatinda unit. The project is a pollution treatment measure. It also helps improve the process and enhances productivity.

The urea hydrolyzerproject is in addition to a series of latest and sophisticated pollution control measures already implemented by the company at all its operating plants right from their project stages with the objective of meeting stringent minimal national standards (MINAS) prescribed by the government.

In 1997-98, NFL achieved a production target of 114 per cent. Its sales turnover stood at Rs 2,221 crore, gross profit at Rs 508 crore and net profit at Rs 251.35 crore for the year. The performance of these fuel oil-based plants is almost the best in the world even after two decades of operation.