Strict surveillance reduces industrial misuse of urea in Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar district, which has a high concentration of plywood and allied industrial units, has been placed under special surveillance by the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department to ensure that subsidised agricultural-grade urea is not diverted or misused under the guise of industrial demand.
As a result of this strict monitoring, the use of technical-grade urea (TGU), meant exclusively for industrial consumption, has increased in plywood industries across the district. It has been observed that from October 2025 till date, about 40,000 bags of TGU have been sold to industrial units in Yamunanagar.
In 2025, a decrease has also been recorded in the consumption of subsidised agricultural-grade urea in the district due to stringent action against its use in plywood factories and increased awareness among farmers about minimising urea application in crops.
According to information, compared to the previous year, Yamunanagar district received around 1,75,000 less bags of subsidised agricultural-grade urea up to December 2025.
“Continuous monitoring of fertiliser movement, storage and end-use is being carried out in coordination with the district administration and enforcement agencies in Yamunanagar district,” said Dr Aditya Pratap Dabas, Deputy Director of Agriculture (DDA), Yamunanagar.
He said that despite the reduced receipt of subsidised urea, the integration of the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal with the Integrated Fertiliser Management System (IFMS) ensured optimal utilisation, rational distribution and uninterrupted availability of agricultural-grade urea to genuine farmers.
“The real-time tracking of fertiliser movement, PoS-based sales and farmer authentication enabled timely corrective measures and prevented artificial shortages at the field level,” Dr Dabas said.
He added that the Agriculture Department, in close coordination with the district administration, intensified inspections, surprise raids and regulatory checks to prevent misuse and illegal diversion of agricultural-grade fertilisers.
As per available information, during the current year, 13 FIRs have been registered, 43 fertiliser dealers’ licences have been cancelled and approximately 5,868 bags of agricultural-grade urea have been seized.
The department has initiated legal action against defaulting entities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985, as amended from time to time.
Alongside enforcement and technology-driven monitoring, sustained field-level administrative and awareness initiatives have also been undertaken under the supervision of Dr Dabas to promote judicious, need-based and lawful use of fertilisers.
“Extensive farmer awareness programmes were organised at village and block levels to sensitise farmers about the ill-effects of excessive and imbalanced use of urea, including soil degradation and declining fertiliser efficiency. Farmers were encouraged to adopt soil test-based nutrient management, balanced fertilisation and scientifically recommended doses,” he said.
Dr Dabas added that special emphasis was placed on crop-wise and stage-wise assessment of actual urea requirements, particularly for wheat, sugarcane, fodder and vegetable crops.
He added that the distribution of subsidised urea was rationalised based on acreage, crop growth stage and field verification, which helped prevent panic lifting and unnecessary stocking.
“Regular and surprise inspections of fertiliser dealers, wholesalers, PACS and cooperative societies were conducted to check illegal stocking and diversion. Physical verification of stocks, sale registers and PoS data was carried out in alignment with IFMS records and any deviation was promptly dealt with as per rules,” Dr Dabas said.
He added that sensitisation and capacity-building programmes were also organised for PACS and cooperative society employees to reinforce compliance with the Fertiliser (Control) Order, proper documentation, PoS discipline and ethical distribution practices.
“Staff members were clearly instructed against bulk sales, non-agricultural diversion and unauthorised transactions,” he said.
“The fertiliser management system in Yamunanagar district reflects a holistic, multi-pronged approach combining technology-enabled oversight, strict enforcement and proactive field-level administration,” Dr Dabas concluded.
