Dealers making us buy extra fertilisers with urea: Peasants

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 28

Even though the state Agriculture Department is claiming there is no shortage of urea, some fertiliser dealers here are allegedly forcing farmers to buy additional fertilisers or pesticides along with urea bags.

Some farmers had lodged a protest outside a shop in Gidderbaha on Friday, claiming they were being forced to buy some other products along with urea.

Ravinder Singh and Harmandeep Singh of Rukhala village here said, “A dealer in Gidderbaha forced us to buy some pesticides along with urea. When we refused to buy the pesticide, he did not give us urea bags.”

Sukhjinder Singh, nodal officer (fertilisers), Muktsar, said, “There is no shortage of urea in the district. If some dealers are forcing farmers to buy other products from them along with urea, they can lodge a complaint with us. The tagging of any other product along with urea will not be allowed.”

“We have even asked block agriculture officers to conduct surprise checks. We are yet to receive reports from them. Besides, we also conduct surprise checks at our own level. If we get any evidence against dealers, we may suspend his licence.”