Farmer ID must for subsidised fertilisers

Lucknow: The UP govt on Monday announced stricter measures to ensure transparent distribution of subsidised fertilisers to farmers and prevent their black-marketing.The state govt said fertilisers will be sold only to farmers possessing a valid Farmer ID, based on their landholding records. Govt expressed concern over the misuse of subsidised fertilisers by anti-social elements for non-agricultural commercial activities. To address the issue, govt has made Farmer ID mandatory for purchasing subsidised fertilisers such as urea, DAP, NPK, MOP and SSP. According to the agriculture department, the state currently has ample stock of fertilisers available for the upcoming Kharif season. Officials said that UP has availability of 27.94 lakh metric tonnes fertilisers, including 13.28 lakh metric tonnes urea, 5.23 lakh metric tonnes DAP, 4.81 lakh metric tonnes f NPK, 3.69 lakh metric tonnes SSP and 0.93 lakh metric tonnes MOP. The stock is said to be 3.13 lakh metric tonnes higher than last year.Govt said fertiliser supply is being ensured in coordination with the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers to meet the seasonal demand of farmers. The department has banned the tagging or compulsory sale of any other agricultural inputs along with fertilisers.Farmers have been advised to purchase fertilisers in balanced quantities and avoid unnecessary stockpiling. The department said that based on land records and crop requirements, farmers can purchase a maximum of five bags of DAP and seven bags of urea per hectare.Govt further appealed to farmers not to buy fertilisers excessively before actual requirement, warning that prolonged exposure to air and moisture can reduce fertiliser effectiveness.Meanwhile, monitoring committees have been constituted across all districts to keep strict surveillance on fertiliser sales. The government said raids and legal action under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 are being continuously carried out against illegal storage and black marketing of fertilisers.