Top 10 Biggest Fertilizer Companies In India

Over the last two decades or so, India’s fertilizer industry has been on steady growth and that’s only because the demand for fertilizers is also growing at a pretty steady pace. Take the fiscal year 2022 for example. In the last year, the fertilizer industry in the country kept the pace of a 5.89% compound annual growth rate. Which is pretty impressive looking at how niche the sector or market is. And contributing to this annual growth every year, are the big fertilizer companies that are keeping up with the rising demand. If you have landed on today’s post just to know a little more about the names of these big companies, what they are doing, how well they are performing money-wise, and all that stuff, then simply keep on reading. Here we will be taking a close look at the top 10 biggest fertilizer companies in India, so yeah, let’s get straight to the list now. Shall we?

1. Coromandel International Limited

Coromandel International Limited, a big name in India’s farm world, started back in the 1960s. Originally called Coromandel Fertilizers, it was born from a collaboration between IMC, Chevron Companies, and EID Parry. Now, headquartered in Hyderabad, this company’s grown loads. What do they do exactly? Well, they make fertilizers, pesticides, and special nutrients. With Mana Gromor Centres in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, they offer key farm services like advice on crops, soil testing, and farm tools.

• Revenue: 29,628 crores INR
• Market Cap: 330.12 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 73,000+

With roughly 800 retail spots, Coromandel touches about 5,000 farm families per store. That’s like covering 30-40 villages each! This huge network connects them to around 3 million farmers, helping them directly. In the market game, they’re India’s second-biggest maker and seller of phosphatic fertilizer.

2. Chambal Fertilisers

Now, let’s talk about Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (CFCL), set up in 1985 by the KK Birla Group. Based in Kota, Rajasthan, this company’s the biggest private sector Urea producer in India, we’re talking an impressive 1.5 million tonnes a year. Urea’s their main thing, but there’s more. They trade various farm inputs and have dipped their toes into software, spinning, and even miniature potato seeds. Right now, CFCL has three urea plants in Gadepan, Kota, making 3.4 million tonnes/year.

• Revenue: 27,940 crores INR
• Market Cap: 127.57 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: N/A

Big news in 2024, they’re building a technical ammonium nitrate (TAN) plant at Gadepan. It’s planned to pump out 240,000 tonnes/year of TAN and 210,000 tonnes/year of weak nitric acid (WNA) by October 2025.

3. National Fertilizers Ltd

And here we have National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), the big government-owned urea fertilizer producer in India as of 2024. Started in 1974, NFL operates under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and is the country’s second-largest urea producer. They’ve got five gas-based ammonia-urea plants in Panipat in Haryana, Nangal and Bathinda in Punjab, and two in Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh. Recently updated to natural gas, these plants are now more efficient and eco-friendly.

• Revenue: 15,891.42 crores INR
• Market Cap: 34.24 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 3,333+

The NFL’s story is interesting. Thanks to doing well, the NFL got Mini-Navratna status and went public in 2001, hitting the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

4. Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers

Alright, let’s dive into number four, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, or RCF for short. Based right in the heart of Mumbai, it’s a big deal in the government-owned sector. They started back in 1978 and, believe it or not, they’ve climbed up to be one of India’s top four in the fertilizer game. They make all sorts, like Urea and complex fertilizers, not to mention a bunch of industrial chemicals.

• Revenue: 12,812.17 crores INR
• Market Cap: 68.80 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 2,556+

RCF isn’t playing around with just one unit, they’ve got two major ones. The Trombay Unit in Mumbai does it all like fertilizers, chemicals, you name it. And then there’s the Thal Unit, a bit south of Mumbai, cranking out Urea and other industrial stuff.

5. Tata Chemicals Limited

Moving on to number five we have Tata Chemicals. They’ve been around since 1939 and have grown into something massive, doing everything from fertilizers to fancy chemicals. They’re part of the famous Tata Group, so you know they’re all about serious business. Their soda ash production is huge, the third largest in India! It all started in a place called Mithapur, which is named after the Gujarati word for salt.

• Revenue: 17,007 crores INR
• Market Cap: 245.98 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 1,001 to 5,000

After 2006, they went global, buying up companies in the UK and the US. This bumped their soda ash production up to 5.17 million tons. They even got a piece of a fertilizer complex in Gabon. In 2022, Tata Chemicals made a big green move with the UK’s first industrial-scale carbon capture plant. But 2024 hit them with some challenges, their profits dropped by 28%. Tough times with demand and pricing. Yet, they’re not backing down.

6. Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited

And at number six, we’ve got Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals, or GNFC. Another big name from Gujarat, they’ve been on the scene since 1976. After forward to 2024, financially, they’re doing pretty great. They announced a share buyback, which means they’re confident about their future.

• Revenue: 1.55T Cr
• Market Cap: 110.00 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 1,001 to 5,000

But, after their fourth-quarter results, their shares took a bit of a hit. Still, they’re pretty sharp with their money, low spending on interest and employee costs. And they’re good to their shareholders, with a nice dividend bump last October.

7. Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited

Founded way back in 1979 by Chimanlal Mehta, a Gujarati Jain, it started small but look at it now! It first kicked off as a private company and then, in 1982, made the big leap to a public one. Their brand “Mahadhan” has been a hit since 1990, and it’s still going strong under the watchful eye of Sailesh Mehta, Chimanlal’s son. Fast forward to 2018, and things got even more interesting when DFPCL reshaped its business, creating Smartchem Technologies Ltd.

• Revenue: 11,300 crores INR
• Market Cap: 76.95 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 1226+

You see, DFPCL is into all sorts of things like nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, and even methanol. They’re one of the top five in India making methanol! Also, they make this thing called Technical Ammonium Nitrate, super important for farming, chemicals, and even explosives for mining.

8. Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Limited

Now, let’s talk about Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, or FACT for short. It’s another star in India’s fertilizer scene. Established in 1943, thanks to Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma of Travancore, FACT is actually India’s first post-independence fertilizer producer. Based in Kochi, Kerala, it’s been under the government’s wing since the 1960s. They started with ammonium sulphate back in 1947, but times changed, and so did they, switching to naphtha. FACT’s got a pretty diverse range, catering to all sorts of crops and soils across India.

• Revenue: 1.15T Cr INR
• Market Cap: 465.31 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 1656

Oh, and let’s not forget their side gigs like gypsum and soda ash. And wanna know what’s going on with this company right now? Well, FACT’s doing pretty well financially. As of March 2024, they’re boasting a net profit of Rs 613 Crore.

9. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited

Started back in 1967 with just 57 members, IFFCO has shot up to be the world’s biggest cooperative by turnover. Now, it’s got around 35,000 member cooperatives and reaches over 50 million farmers in India. Sitting pretty in New Delhi, IFFCO has grabbed a hefty chunk of the fertilizer market, we’re talking 19% in urea and about 31% in complex fertilizers. IFFCO’s story is quite something. It all started with the food crisis in the early 60s, pushing Indian farmers and the nation’s bigwigs to look for lasting solutions. Back then, 70% of the chemical fertilizers in the country came through the cooperative sector.

• Revenue: 27,837 crores INR
• Market Cap: 205.6 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: 978+

In 1964, the Cooperative League of the USA came up with a plan, proposing to the Government of India that American cooperatives could work with Indian ones to set up fertilizer production. Fast forward to November 3, 1967, and IFFCO was born as a multi-unit cooperative society, aimed at producing and distributing fertilizers.

10. Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd

Since 1974, Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd has been a key player in Karnataka’s fertilizer and chemical scene. Part of the Adventz Group, MCF’s got its headquarters in UB City, Bangalore, and its production hub in Panambur, near Mangalore. MCF doesn’t play small, they deal in a whole range of stuff like urea, Diammonium phosphate, and even industrial chemicals like sulphuric acid. In 1990, the UB Group took over management when MCF was in a tough spot, drowning in losses. This move was a game-changer, turning the company’s fortunes around. Fast forward to March 2016, and the Adventz Group holds a majority 53.03% stake in MCF.

• Revenue: 978.62 Cr
• Market Cap: 13.46 billion INR
• Number Of Employees: N/A

2024 has been a mixed bag for MCF. They hit a snag on October 22, when they had to stop operations at their phosphatic fertilizer plant in Mangalore. Why? They ran out of phosphoric acid, highlighting just how tricky supply chain issues can be. But despite these hiccups, MCF stands strong in the market.

Conclusion

Alright, enough with the information stuff, now we’ll let you form your own conclusion. Maybe you are a farmer interested in these companies, or it could be that you are an eager investor looking forward to some incredible opportunities in this particular segment, right? We hope that our today’s post has served you well and given you good insights about these big fertilizer companies.