Fertilizer supply concerns grow; govt warns against hoarding

Patna: The crisis in West Asia and resulting uncertainty over fertilizer imports have prompted the state agriculture department to advise retailers and farmers to exercise prudence in the sale and purchase of chemical fertilizers, especially urea, ahead of the upcoming Kharif season.With the monsoon expected to set in around mid-June, the Kharif cropping cycle will begin, marked by large-scale paddy cultivation across the state, along with summer maize in select districts and some pulse varieties.On Monday, agriculture director Saurabh Suman Yadav chaired a review meeting here with representatives of fertilizer companies, dealers from all 38 districts and retailers to assess availability. He said 2.84 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of urea is currently available in the state.“We just have to ensure proper use of urea,” Yadav said, urging dealers and retailers to “exercise control on the stock of urea and also pay utmost attention to the fact that the fertilizers are sold to farmers only after making proper verification of their urea requirement for the Kharif season.”He also asked retailers to motivate farmers to adopt alternative fertilizers and organic farming to reduce dependence on chemical inputs. Warning against unethical practices, Yadav said strict action would be taken against hoarding or overpricing. He added that effective monitoring mechanisms, including flying squads at the state headquarters and district-level raid teams, have been put in place. Representatives of fertilizer companies were also directed to ensure uninterrupted supply.Earlier, agriculture minister Ram Kripal Yadav had held a high-level review on March 28, shortly after the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, to assess its potential impact on fertilizer availability. Concerns were raised over possible disruptions in shipping and difficulties in procuring urea and ammonia from the region. At that time, urea stock in the state stood at 2.63 lakh MT.