Cooperative societies blamed for urea crisis

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Mansa, January 27

With cooperative societies failing to supply urea, hundreds of farmers fear a low wheat yield this season.

The Director of Agriculture, Dr Mangal Singh Sandhu, blames it on “total mismanagement” by the cooperative societies that function under the deputy commissioners. The Agriculture Department sells just 30 per cent of urea share in the open market. A delay of a few more days could mean crop failure, say sources.

Mansa district president of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) Ram Singh Bhainibaga alleged that they had intercepted trucks carrying consignments to nearby Sardulgarh, Bhikhi and Budhlada areas and had managed to get 14,000 bags of urea for the local farmers.

District Agriculture Officer Nacchatar Singh Bhullar admitted that members of various coop societies too had not received urea. He claimed most of them had defaulted on making payment to the societies. Contesting the government claim that the supply was normal, farmer Jaspal Singh of Mallikon village said: “We are members of a coop society. But we were given only two sacks of urea in the beginning of the season. But those aligned with the ruling party faced no difficulty at all.”

The sarpanch of Rai Kae Kalan village was found with 150 bags of urea. But no case was registered against him, said Rajinder Singh Brar, Agriculture Officer.

He said because of early harvesting of cotton, wheat sowing had been advanced by a month. This had led to a greater demand for urea, particularly in Mansa and Bathinda districts.