The eight-member expert team of NFL employees are helping the company `Jose's First Fertilisers Project' in start-up activities in Venezuela through Italian company, Snam Progetti.

NFL, which recently celebrated its 26th foundation day, had earlier sent its specialists for commissioning fuel oil-based plants in China which had been put up by Toyo Engineering Corporation from Japan. According to NFL chairman and managing director, Dinesh Singh, the public sector company had created a niche in the international and national markets by providing technical expertise to other companies in the fields of installation, maintenance, commissioning and operations of fertiliser and chemical plants.

The PSU has also provided services to Hyundai, HPCL, GAIL, Chambal fertilisers and Haldia Petrochemicals. Singh said that the company's earnings by providing expert services so far has been to the tune of Rs 3 crore.

The Nangal Urea Revamp Project undertaken by the company to enhance urea production from the existing 3.3 lakh tonne to 4.87 lakh tonne is expected to be completed within a few months and NFL is hopeful of commissioning the project much before the scheduled date of May 5, 2001.

Singh said that the company had set up a strategic corporate plan `Vision 2008' to help it face the challenges of the liberalised era. As per the plan, the revamp of fuel-oil-based plants was under consideration. A switch over from fuel oil to the more cost-effective liquified natural gas was being planned, Singh said.

During 1999-2000, the company produced 31.37 lakh tonne of urea with an overall 111.8 per cent of capacity utilisation and registered a sales turnover of Rs 2,453 crore. Post-tax profit of the company stood at Rs 34.89 crore.