Doorstep fertiliser delivery through app

Lucknow: Long queues of farmers waiting outside fertiliser shops in UP may soon be a passe as state govt is mulling delivering fertilisers to farmers' through an e-commerce-powered mobile application.Sources said the department of cooperatives has begun developing the mobile application, which will facilitate advance booking of fertilisers and enable delivery to farmers' homes.
Cooperatives commissioner Yogesh Kumar said the plan is to do away with physical queues to make way for electronic queues to save farmers pain of lining up at fertiliser shops/centres for long hours."They may track status of their order online and get it from the nearest centre, or wait for home delivery," he told TOI on Wednesday.Farmers will have facility of paying online as well as cash on delivery. Officials said the department planned to promote online payment to avoid hassles of cash management. Promoting online payments also reduces leakages and informal commissions, besides accounting irregularities.Kumar said that, on average, 70-80 farmers would be provided fertilisers under the process through each primary agricultural credit society (PACS), the grassroots-level, village-based cooperative credit institutions which provide immediate agricultural and non-agricultural credit, fertilisers, seeds and marketing facilities to rural borrowers.In UP, 6,914 PACS are registered with department of cooperatives, which channels 40% of the total fertiliser requirement in state. The remaining 60% demand is met by agriculture department with the help of societies, UP Agro Centres, and the private sector. The move comes at a time when fertiliser distribution is witnessing long queues, seasonal shortages, and allegations of diversion or black marketing.The digitisation of PACS operations, sources said, marks UP govt's fresh attempt to modernise cooperative institutions, increase their accountability and create traceable fertiliser supply chains. As a matter of fact, PACS are crucial since they act as grassroots-level rural institutions with existing farmer databases. They have an established trust network in villages and a direct linkage to cooperative supply chains.Electronic queues could save farmers' time during peak sowing seasons, reduce crowd management challenges, and minimise law and order risks during potential fertiliser shortages. Digital tracking could, on the other hand, prevent hoarding, monitor real-time stock levels, and ensure equitable distribution.Sources said state govt would still have to deal with private dealers, often accused of "tagging", or forcing farmers to buy unnecessary products like nano urea, zinc, or pesticides alongside subsidised fertiliser bags.