The Group of Ministers on fertilisers has approved decontrol of urea prices. Official soucres said in New Delhi that a meeting of the GOM also decided to allow the companies to raise rates of the fertiliser up to 10 per cent this fiscal. Urea is the only fertilizer, which is under Government control till now. The Government had partially decontrolled other fertilisers in the last financial year. Urea is the cheapest and the most used fertiliser in the country. AIR correspondent reports that the move will help the Government reduce its subsidy bill, which is around Rs 75,000 crore at present. Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General report on fertilisers has alleged that despite the Government spending of Rs 2 lakh 71 thousand crore on fertiliser subsidy during 2003-10, annual production of fertilisers increased only 50 million tonne in fives years from 2004. The report tabled in Parliament says changes in the subsidy regime have failed to boost domestic production of fertiliser. The fertilser production went up to 298 million tonne in 2008-09 from 248 million tonne in 2003-04.