CHANDIGARH: Tardy pace of paddy procurement (Kharif crop) added to by inadequate prices–well below the minimum support price (MSP)– and lately shortage of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) has turned the ire of the farmers in Punjab against the state government and the Centre.DAP is a water-soluble fertilizer that’s made from ammonia and phosphoric acid.Sources say that the state requires 4.8 lakh metric tonnes of DAP for producing wheat and 80,000 MT for vegetables for the Rabi season (November to April/May). As against the demand, the state has received only 2.76 lakh MT so far.The state has been allocated just 4.68 lakh MT of the fertilizer, falling short of the total requirement of 5.5 lakh MT. The annual DAP requirement is 8.5 lakh tonnes, with 5.5 lakh tonnes typically used during the Rabi season to cultivate wheat, potatoes, and other horticultural crops.Against this backdrop, the farmers here are anxious as the wheat sowing– which officially starts around October 25–is expected to be completed by mid-November so as to acquire a better yield.The state agriculture department has told the dealers that they must display stock information, issue bills with mobile numbers and avoid over-charging. Talking with this newspaper, Senior Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader and President of All India Kisan Federation, Prem Singh Bhangu said, “the farmers are already facing a shortage of fertilizer in the state when the wheat sowing season is at it’s peak. He said that both the central and state governments have failed to get adequate DAP for farmers well before the sowing seasons. The traders are hoarding the DAP and black marketing it as the actual rate of a bag of DAP is Rs 1,350 but it is being sold at Rs 2,000 per bag. Moreover, the traders force the farmers to buy pesticides or insecticides worth around Rs 500 failing which they refused to part with the DAP.”Due to the shortage of DAP, the yield is likely to be effected with the delay in sowing of wheat,” he added.Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the department has constituted five flying squads to ensure the seamless and equitable availability of DAP and other fertilizers, quality seeds and pesticides for the Rabi season in order to protect farmers from financial exploitation and help them achieve better yields.
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