NEW DELHI: Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah on Saturday dedicated the newly commissioned Sulphuric Acid Plant–3 (SAP–III) at the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) unit in Paradeep, Odisha, to the nation. Shah said the Ministry of Cooperation and the Odisha government would work together to improve rural life in the state. He noted that this is the third stream of the sulphuric acid plant at IFFCO’s Paradeep unit. “In 2005, IFFCO bought this plant for Rs 2,577 crore and at that time its production capacity was 7.5 lakh metric tonnes. Today the capacity has increased to about 22 lakh metric tonnes,” he stated. According to Shah, IFFCO benefits nearly five crore farmers across the country.“Wherever IFFCO’s factories are located, their real owners are the five crore farmers of India. Its turnover of over Rs 41,000 crore, profit exceeding Rs 3,800 crore and net worth of more than Rs 28,000 crore belong to these farmers. This is the true strength of the cooperative model,” he said. “The Government of India is committed to strengthening the cooperative movement so that farmers can become economically stronger and agriculture can move towards greater self-reliance. Expanding fertiliser infrastructure using modern technology will ensure timely availability of agricultural inputs to farmers and help improve productivity,” he added. The new sulphuric acid plant has been established at an estimated cost of around Rs 700 crore and has a production capacity of about 2,000 metric tonnes per day. The facility is expected to enhance the operational capability of the Paradeep complex, one of India’s largest integrated phosphatic fertiliser production units.Besides Shah, the dedication ceremony was attended by Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, IFFCO chairman Dilip Sanghani, IFFCO managing director KJ Patel, Members of Parliament, state ministers, and senior officials.