The state government has directed all district magistrates (DMs) to ensure physical verification of fertilizer stocks in all districts and check the smuggling, hoardings so that proper supply is maintained in coming crop seasons amid disruption of the fertilizer supply through international routes in the wake of ongoing West Asia crisis.
Agriculture director Saurav Suman Yadav said that the orders for physical verification of fertilizer stocks has been given to get a fair idea of the stock stockpile in the state and also to ascertain whether any kind of hoarding, black-marketing is underway in the state or not. “Districts where there has been a substantial rise in consumption of fertilizer has been instructed to verify whether the consumption is for genuine purposes to enrich the fields or for other purposes,” said the agriculture director.
Yadav also maintained that districts in the bordering areas of the state, where smuggling of fertilizer is rampant, has been given strict instructions to keep a tab on clandestine trade of fertilizer with Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) been directed to maintain higher vigil.
Agency reports said that Union minister of agriculture and farmers welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan talked to agriculture ministers of states and CMs on the availibility of urea and Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and assured all the support.
On Wednesday, Bihar’s agriculture minister Ram Kripal Yadav met the Union agriculture minister and apprised him of the fertilizer stock availability in the state apart from discussing other issues. Yadav said that as on April 1, the state had a stock of 2.77 lakh metric tonnes of urea, 1.46 lakh metric tonnes of DAP, 2.11 lakh metric tonnes of NPK with subsantial stock of other fertilizer too.
“ We have enough stock of fertilizer for the coming crop season in coming months. The requisite for fertilizer would be mainly for wheat and maize crops,” said the director, agriculture.
