If you thought the Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver is the only spending that will dent Finance Minister P Chidambaram's fiscal prudence, think again. The Union Fertiliser Ministry has demanded an extra Rs 60,000 crore for fertilizer subsidy and unlike the loan waiver that's spread over three years, the subsidy has to be provided during the current fiscal. The Fertiliser Ministry has said that the Rs 30,986 crore provided in the 2008-09 Budget was inadequate considering the estimated consumption during Kharif 2008 and Rabi 2008-09 (see chart) and the spurt in international prices of fertilizers. Coupled with an estimated 10% rise in domestic demand during 2008-09, the continuing price increase would mean a subsidy requirement of Rs 89,947 crore based on February prices, it claimed. The issue is now being resolved by the Prime Minister's Office under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to PM. Last Friday, he asked the Fertiliser Ministry to verify its estimates considering the Finance Ministry's objection that more emphasis was being placed on imports instead of maximizing domestic output, and projections