Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Company Ltd was incorporated on May 10, 1976, at Bharuch, Gujarat. The company is a joint enterprise promoted by both the Government of Gujarat and the Gujarat State Fertiliser Company Ltd. It is one of the leading entities in India engaged mainly in the business of manufacturing and selling fertilisers and industrial chemicals, and providing IT services. Their manufacturing facilities are located at Bharuch in Gujarat. In 1982, the company started its manufacturing operations from its single-stream ammonia-urea fertiliser complex, which is one of the largest in the world. They commissioned a captive power project in 1987-90. In 1991, they established a nitrophosphate plant and a calcium ammonium nitrate plant. Over the years, the company also diversified into information technology as well, via its IT division named (n) Code Solutions. In 2004-05, the company entered into an agreement with the Gas Authority of India Ltd, for supply of R-LNG. In FY 2014, it was also given the role of Fertiliser Marketing Entity (FME) for 3 years from October 2015 for the distribution of Urea imported by the Government of India. In 2017-18, the company bagged a major order from Vadodara Smart City Development Ltd. To encourage organic farming, the company has also produced 152 MTs of Oiled Neem Cakes during FY 2018-19. It produces other neem-based products such as Neem soap, shampoo, hand wash, mosquito repellent, hair oil, face wash etc.

Business Segments

GNFC is into the manufacturing and marketing of fertilisers, pesticides, industrial chemicals and also has an IT products division. The detailed products and services offered by the company are:

• Manufacturing Fertilisers:

The company manufactures and sells fertilisers such as Urea and Nitrophosphate under the brand NARMADA via cooperative societies, dealers, and sub-dealers. The company also manufactures and markets Neem De-Oiled Cakes and Narmada Neem Pesticides.

• Trading Fertilisers:

The company is engaged in the trading of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MOP), Single Super Phosphate (SSP), Ammonium Sulphate, and City Compost. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and certain parts of Rajasthan are prime marketing zones of GNFC.

• Manufacturing Industrial Chemicals:

The company produces multiple industrial chemicals, including Methanol, Formic Acid, Nitric Acid, and Acetic Acid. Both Methanol and Formic Acid are regularly exported to international markets.

• Information Technology

The company’s IT division, i.e. (n) Code Solutions, provides IT solutions like Smart Cities Implementation, e-Procurement, e-Auction, Block Chain and e-Governance Projects, education, etc. Subsidiaries The company has no subsidiaries as of October 2023.

Corporate Actions

The company has not conducted any buyback, bonus issue, rights issue or stock split in the recent past.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. The company is the only producer of Acetic Acid and is also one of the only two producers of Formic Acid in India. It also has the largest single stream Aniline plant in India.
2. The company is also the only manufacturer of Toluene Di-Isocyanate in South East Asia and Indian subcontinent.
3. The company registered a loss only once, in 2015.
4. The company has the largest Ammonia Plant and a Urea plant in India.

Weaknesses

1. The company faces stiff competition from the large amount of fertiliser imports that India has to make every year.

Opportunities

1. The company has a major opportunity to expand its IT business in the coming years. It is one of the few government companies with a proven capability of digital transformation. Therefore, it is well positioned to take up work in this space for the government’s digitisation drive.

Threats

1. Most of the company’s products are substitutes and hence face stiff competition in the market from other players.
2. GNFC needs to expand its supplier base for raw materials in order to secure itself against supply chain disruptions.
3. There is a risk of the Nutrient-based Subsidy from the government not matching actual input costs, which may affect profitability.
4. Tightening clean energy norms may become a source of pressure for the firm’s profitability in the future.