DAP fertiliser price rise may escalate input cost: Farmers

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 4

The Centre has increased the rates of DAP (diammonium phosphate) fertiliser by Rs 50 per sack. With the new rates in place, one sack of DAP fertiliser, which was being sold for Rs 1,150 earlier, will now be available for Rs 1,200.

Farmers rued that on one hand the government had increased the MSP for few crops recently, but on the other it had now increased the rates of DAP fertiliser. They claimed it would burden the farmers in the state.

They said they had been struggling with the already high cost of farming and the recent move would further escalate the input cost for farming. It is the marginal farmer with small land holdings who would be directly affected by the decision.

Talking to The Tribune, Chamkaur Singh, secretary of a Bathinda based co-operative society, said, “The revised rates of DAP fertilisers will be applicable on stock coming after October 1.”

An employee of Markfed said they had got the intimation regarding increase in DAP rates.

Singhara Singh Mann, president, BKU Ekta Ugrahan, said, “It’s not merely increase in fertiliser rates, but a strategy to push the already struggling farming community to the margins. It’s the increased input cost of farming that has put additional burden on farmers pushing them to commit suicides in the state.”

“Already the government is paving the way for corporates to control the farming sector by putting leash on the farming community by bringing in new laws and now it has been burdening them with such measures.”

Agriculture Develipment Officer Chanpreet Singh said, “The rates of DAP fertiliser were increased by IFFCO twice recently. But we do not play any role in price fixing or regulation.”

Bhavneesh Monga, president, Pesticides and Fertilisers’ Association, said, “The Centre provides a subsidy of Rs 517 for every sack of DAP fertiliser and if the government is genuinely concerned about protecting interests of the farming community, they must increase the subsidy not the rates of DAP fertiliser to provide much-needed relief.”

Chief Agriculture Officer Bahadar Singh said IFFCO had increased the rates of DAP fertilisers, adding that the department had no role in it.