With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:
1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for Phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The retail price of urea is not market-driven; it is strictly administered and fixed by the Central Government at a statutorily notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP). For non-urea phosphatic and potassic fertilizers under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) regime, the government continues to administer annual fixed per-kilogram subsidy rates.
Statement 2 is correct: Synthetic ammonia (NH3), the foundational chemical precursor for manufacturing urea, is produced industrially via the Haber-Bosch process utilizing hydrogen derived from natural gas (methane).
Statement 3 is correct: Sulphur is recovered as a primary by-product during hydrodesulfurization processes in petroleum refineries to reduce emissions from fuels. This recovered elemental sulphur is burned to produce sulfuric acid, which is then reacted with rock phosphate to produce phosphoric acid fertilizers.
Hence, statements 2 and 3 are correct — Option B.