India, Feb. 29 -- In a move that will reduce India's import dependency on potash, a key fertilizer, the Union government has allowed sugar mills to sell potash derived from molasses (PDM) to fertiliser companies, a senior food department official has said .
The decision opens a new channel of additional revenue for sugar mills, which will also receive nutrient-based subsidies on it, food and public distribution secretary Sanjeev Chopra said.
"The Union government facilitated a mutually agreed price of Rs.4,263 per metric tonne for the sale of PDM by sugar mills to fertiliser companies for the current year," Chopra said.
PDM, a potassium-rich fertilizer derived from ash in molasses-based distilleries, is a by-product of the sugar-based et...