'Subsidised urea meant for agricultural sector sold to industries at inflated rates': Balbir Rajewal

Already complaining about erratic power supply during the peak paddy sowing season, farmers’ unions on Saturday expressed strong resentment over an alleged deliberate shortage of urea.

Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal alleged that urea meant for the agricultural sector was being diverted to the industrial sector.

Demanding a CBI probe, Rajewal said the diversion of heavily subsidised, agriculture-grade urea to commercial and private industries is a major issue in Punjab.

He said a delegation of farmers formally lodged a complaint in this regard at the CBI office in Sector 30, Chandigarh, on Saturday.

Representatives of several farmers’ unions, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rajewal, voiced serious concerns over the issue. They alleged that a syndicate involving corrupt officials and private traders was selling subsidised farm urea to factories, including plywood and chemical units, at highly inflated prices.

Rajewal, who headed the Kisan Morcha during the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation at the Delhi borders, also levelled serious allegations against Markfed and Milkfed, cooperative institutions operating under the Punjab Government, regarding the alleged shortage of urea for farmers and irregularities in cooperative bodies.

Addressing a press conference at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh on Friday, farmer leaders stated that subsidised urea, which is meant to be available to farmers at Rs 266 per bag, was not reaching them and was instead being diverted for industrial use.

They alleged that the same urea was being sold to private companies at rates ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per bag.

According to the farmer leaders, such diversion would not be possible without the connivance of officials of the concerned department. They said a letter had also been written to the Chief Minister seeking action in the matter.

The subsidised urea is in high demand in the automotive and plywood industries.