Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Edal Singh Kanshana has said that there is no shortage of fertilizers in the state. The state government has provided the required amount of fertilizers to the farmers in Kharif and will also provide fertilizers as per the requirement of the farmers in Rabi. Minister Shri Kanshana said this in a discussion with the media at his residence in Shyamala Hills.
Minister Shri Kanshana said that nitrogen, phosphorus and potash are required for crops. DAP fulfills only nitrogen and phosphorus, whereas the use of NPK fulfills all three elements – nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Therefore, farmers are being advised by agricultural scientists to use NPK instead of DAP.
The central government has increased the subsidy on DAP fertilizer so that farmers do not face any kind of problem. The price of a bag of urea is Rs 2,265. Whereas the government is making it available to farmers at a cheaper rate of Rs 266.50. Similarly, the price of a bag of DAP is Rs 2,446, whereas the government makes it available to farmers at Rs 1,350 per bag.
Minister Shri Kanshana said that if we calculate the subsidy given to farmers in the state during the Kharif season, it will be Rs 7,32 crore for urea and Rs 1,258 crore for DAP. This shows the sensitivity of the government towards farmers. He said that the reason for the huge fluctuation in the prices of DAP in the international markets this year is the conflict between Ukraine and Israel. Due to their conflict, there have been obstacles in supply. Nevertheless, a plan has been prepared to make adequate fertilizers available to farmers.
Minister Shri Kanshana said that in Kharif 2024, 33.69 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers have been made available to the farmers against the demand of 32.97 lakh metric tonnes, whereas last year 32.62 lakh metric tonnes were made available in Kharif 2023. Similarly, in Rabi 2024, 19 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers have been made available from 01 October 2024 till now against the demand of 41.10 lakh metric tonnes. In which 7.74 lakh metric tonnes of urea, 5.21 lakh metric tonnes of DAP and 6.05 lakh metric tonnes of SSP have been made available.
Minister Shri Kanshana said that sufficient quantity of fertilizers are also available in the state for Rabi 2024. Madhya Pradesh is the only state which stores fertilizers in advance so that farmers do not face any shortage of fertilizers. At the beginning of the Rabi season, the state had already stored 6.55 lakh metric tonnes in advance. He said that the Government of India has assured to provide sufficient quantity of fertilizers and fertilizers are also being received continuously. Fertilizers will be made available to the farmers as per their demand.
Minister Shri Kanshana said that “Nano Urea” and “Nano DAP” have also been advised to be used by farmers. Spraying before flowering increases the yield. No pressure is being exerted on farmers to tag other fertilizers while selling fertilizers. He said that the state government will ensure that the fertilizers provided are of good quality. Wherever there is information about the sale of poor quality fertilizers, seeds and pesticides, we will take strict action against them. In case of black marketing and fake fertilizers, we will also take legal action and register FIR against the culprits.
