Pasupathy Chemicals Pvt Ltd has sought the nod of the Ministry of Environment and Forests for starting a fungicide and insecticide manufacturing plant at Vedicherla in Andhra Pradesh?s Nellore district.

In a representation to the ministry for environmental clearance, the company said it intends to produce 40 tonnes of Mancozeb (fungicide) and 10 tonne of Acephate (insecticide) daily.

The total project cost is Rs 20 crore and the total land acquired for the unit is 37.6 acres. The company said 13 acres of greenbelt will be developed in the plant premises.

Justifying the project, Pasupathy Chemicals said that Mancozeb is a broad spectrum fungicide applied against all fungal diseases. The estimated market size is 12000 MT in India and is growing annually by 15-20 per cent.

"There is a huge gap between demand and supply and the exports are constantly increasing every year," it said, adding the proposed 40 TPD plant will meet the ever growing demand for Mancozeb.

Similar is the case of Acephate and the 10 TPD capacity plant will ease the demand and supply gap.

The company said no forest or government land is involved in the site. There are also no historical places, archaeological sites, wildlife sanctuaries or national parks within a 10 km radius from the project site.

The nearest habitation is Vedicherla at a distance of 1.1km from the proposed site. There are also no major industries within 10 km radius of the site.

The company said that it will develop a greenbelt area in the unit and work for reducing environmental pollution in general by afforestation and through general awareness among the people. The green belt will also help in reducing noise levels in the campus as a result of attenuation of noise generated due to plant operations and transportation.

It said various components of industrial operations will cause some amount of noise, which will be controlled by proper maintenance and compact technology.

In its presentation, the company said there will not be any major potential for negative impact on the environment due to the project.