Sowing begins amid DAP shortage in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, October 28

Amid the wheat sowing season, a severe shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) in Punjab could adversely hit the yield of this most important rabi crop. The wheat sowing is to end by November 15.

As against the requirement of 7.50 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of DAP for the rabi marketing season, the state has stock of just 2.50 LMT. Of this, 1.40 LMT is being supplied by Markfed, 30,000 MT by IFFCO to cooperative societies and 80,000 MT is the stock with the private fertiliser dealers/commission agents.

As a result of the shortage, farmers in the state are struggling to get the fertiliser needed in the early stages of wheat sowing. Across the state, reports are pouring in about farmers visiting cooperative societies to get fertiliser and returning empty-handed. Many private fertiliser dealers, who have stocks, are selling it at a premium or forcing the farmers to buy the DAP along with some seeds or insecticides/pesticides.

Harbir Singh of Bija village in Ludhiana said because of the DAP shortage with cooperative societies, farmers were being forced to buy these from private dealers. “This proves to be an expensive preposition as we get interest subvention on the crop loans if we buy from cooperative societies. If we buy from dealers, they charge a premium on the price of Rs 1,350 per bag and are also forcing farmers to buy pesticides or other seeds as a bundle pack with the DAP,” he said.

It may be mentioned that this year, the share in supply of DAP to cooperative societies through Markfed was reduced from 75 per cent to 65 per cent and the share in supply from IFFCO (a multi-state cooperative society) was increased from 25 per cent to 35 per cent. However, while Markfed has reportedly supplied 1.40 LMT of DAP to cooperative societies against its indent of 1.94 LMT, IFFCO has supplied just 30,000 MT against its indent of 1.05 LMT.

When contacted, Punjab state manager of IFFCO Harmail Singh Sidhu said they were trying to increase the supply of DAP. “By Saturday morning, our supply would be 40,000 MT. We are supplying according to the allocation made by the Government of India to all states,” he said.

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