Private dealers in Punjab allocated 90% DAP for sale to farmers

Ruchika M Khanna

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Chandigarh, August 24

Private fertiliser dealers in Punjab have been allocated over 90 per cent of the diammonium phosphate (DAP) for sale to farmers during the upcoming wheat season even as primary agriculture cooperative societies have negligible stocks of the fertiliser, needed for a good wheat crop.

Stocking up for next season

• Of the 1,30,000 metric tonnes of DAP allocated to the state by the Central Government, 1,20,000 metric tonnes has been given to private traders
• These stocks were allocated to the state Agriculture Department in July and August as advance stocks for the next wheat season

Of the 1,30,000 metric tonnes of DAP allocated to the state by the Centre, 1,20,000 metric tonnes has been given to private traders. These stocks were allocated to the state Agriculture Department in July and August as advance stocks for the next wheat season. Wheat sowing begins in October-end. Last year, Markfed had a stock of 80,000 metric tonnes of DAP in August, while this time, it is just 12,000 MT.

The reason for over 90 per cent stocks being given to the private traders is because the Agriculture Department did not issue the necessary orders for distribution of the allocated DAP in the 60:40 ratio, with 60 per cent of stocks to be allocated to the cooperative societies and only 40 per cent to private traders. Generally, before each crop marketing season starts, the department issues a letter making this distribution for the sale of DAP.

Punjab’s requirement for DAP in the entire wheat season is 5.50 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), with 4.80 LMT required for wheat and the remaining for potato and other crops. By this standard, 3.30 LMT should be allocated to the cooperative societies for sale. The reason farmers prefer buying from the societies is that the rates are cheaper and private traders often force them to buy DAP in bundled packages with either some seeds or other insecticides/pesticides.

The issue was flagged by representatives of farmer unions at their meeting with top functionaries of the state, led by CM Bhagwant Mann recently. The issue was also raised by the Vidhan Sabha Committee on Cooperation at their meeting held this week.

CS Verma said he had now directed the department to ensure that the cooperatives got 60 per cent of the entire DAP allocation for the upcoming rabi season, by giving more stocks to the cooperative societies now onwards. Including the 1.20 LMT stocks that private traders have received till date, their allocation would not cross 2.20 LMT, he said.

Director (Agriculture) Gurvinder Singh, when asked about the reason behind the anomaly, said Markfed had refused to lift its stock of fertilisers. He denied that private traders had been facilitated. Denying this, Managing Director of Markfed Girish Dayalan said they had not been issued their allocation of DAP.