60% DAP samples fail test, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann asks minister to act against guilty

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian to initiate action against those involved in what is now being referred to as “DAP scam”.

Fertiliser shortage likely

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• 5.50 lakh MT DAP is required in the state before November 10
• 22,000 MT allocated in March and April, but 60% samples of that batch have failed the quality test
• 22,000 MT fertiliser reached Punjab in July, as compared to 65,000 MT allocated in July 2023
• 1.05 lakh MT DAP allocated for August as compared to 2 lakh MT allocated during the last year
• DAP prices are rising internationally and farmers fear that there will be a shortage of the fertiliser in future

After 60 per cent of the samples of the fertiliser supplied by two companies in March and April failed the test, the matter was reportedly put up before the CM. He has now given the go-ahead to the Agriculture Minister to act against all those involved in the supply of substandard DAP.

The Government of India had allocated to the state 22,000 metric tonnes (MT) of DAP in March and April. According to the orders of the state government, 60 per cent of it was supplied to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and 40 per cent was allocated to private traders. On the suspicion that the quality of the fertiliser was poor, some samples were initially taken in Mohali district, which confirmed the fears of the Agriculture Department.

It was then that Khudian asked for the samples to be taken across the state. Of the 40 samples taken and tested by the department, 24 failed the quality test. Only 16 samples were found to be of standard quality. Sources in the government told The Tribune that under the fertiliser control orders, they had recommended suspending the licences of the two companies that supplied the DAP.

“A letter has been written to the Department of Fertilisers in the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, informing them about the poor DAP quality. This has been done as the DAP is allocated to the state, through MARKFED, by the Centre,” said a senior official in the Agriculture Department.

It is learnt that Khudian is also seeking help from the office of the Advocate General to deal with the matter.