Post-shortage of urea, farmers face exploitation by traders

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 19

Farmers in Bathinda and Mansa district are facing a shortage of urea at the time when their crop needs it the most. In Mansa, farmers protested a number of times this month.

They complain about the black marketing of urea and exploitation of farmers by traders every year but the Agriculture Department again failed to ensure the needed supply of urea.

As farmers have been left in the lurch by the department, they are blaming the state government for the shortage.

Farmers in Bathinda today submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner regarding stray animals destroying their crops.

Earlier, the BKU (Sidhupur) had condemned the move to impose tax on water for irrigation purpose that the government had promised give free of cost to farmers.

They are also annoyed over the unavailability of urea, leading to its black marketing and the exploitation of farmers.

A bag of urea costs up to Rs 250 and farmers need around two-and-a-half bags per acre. A number of farmers who are members of cooperative societies are facing financial problem after clearing their dues and have been left with no money to purchase urea from the market. Earlier, the farmers used to get urea from the societies on loan. BKU Ekta (Dkaunda-Budhlada) president Darshan Singh Gurnekalan said, “Farmers are being looted by shopkeepers as they force them to purchase extra material along with urea. Earlier, the farmers had to bear the pain of drought and untimely rain. Now, they are not getting urea from the cooperative societies and the Agriculture Department. If there is a shortage of urea, then how could the private shopkeepers manage to get urea bags and then loot the farmers.”

“The district Agriculture Department is responsible for it. The need of urea is too much but there is not even a single bag available. A number of farmers who are members of the cooperative societies had got a double blow as they are facing difficulty in paying their dues to the cooperative societies. Now, they will have to take loan from private money lenders. The farmers every year complain about the black-marketing of urea and exploitation of farmers by traders but this year again, the department failed to supply the required quantity of urea,” added Mukhtiar Singh.

In Bathinda, the area under wheat crop was 2.55 lakh hectares whereas this year, it will be 2.52 lakh hectares. Against the need of 42,000 metric tonnes of urea, only 16,000 metric tonnes is available.

BKU Ekta (Ugraha) district president Shingara Singh Mann said, “Farmers are not getting urea from the cooperative societies due to different reasons, including the apathy of the Agriculture Department.”