Farmers not getting subsidised fertilisers, as they are sold in black market

By Janarjan Khatri,Sarlahi, Dec. 28: Black marketing of subsidised chemical fertilisers from local agricultural cooperatives has increased in Sarlahi. 

Farmers are facing a shortage of chemical fertilisers because of their black marketing.

In the southern border area of the district, cooperatives selected as dealers to sell the subsidised fertilisers are found selling it in the black market before it reaches the cooperatives.

There is a provision that the government should provide chemical fertilisers to cooperatives through Agricultural Inputs Company Limited and Salt Trading Corporation and the cooperatives should sell them to the farmers at the price fixed by the government, adding freight costs. 

However, farmers complained that the fertilisers received by cooperatives are not distributed to farmers and are sold to private fertiliser traders in the black market. 

The traders later sell the same subsidised fertilisers to farmers at a higher price in the black market, said local farmers.

Bhola Sah, a farmer from Parsa Rural Municipality-5, said that he used Indian fertilisers to sow wheat in his two bighas of fields.

He complained that he received only half a bag of fertiliser from the cooperative of the village.

 “How can I plant wheat in two bighas with half a bag of fertilizer? I brought DAP fertiliser from India for Rs. 3,500 per bag,” Sah said. 

“The cooperative of the village did not provide fertiliser to us. It sold in the black market from the nearby shop,” he added.

Farmers said that Indian fertiliser is of lower quality compared to the fertiliser sold by the government in subsidy.

Mahendra Mahato, another farmer of Parsa Rural Municipality-5, said that he did not get DAP from the cooperative and planted wheat this year without fertiliser.

He said that the traders are selling DAP fertilisers distributed by the government in a subsidised rate in the black market for up to Rs. 3,500 per sack.

Parsa Rural Municipality has set a price of Rs. 2,600 per sack of DAP fertiliser sold by the cooperatives where the cooperative organisation buys it from AICL at Rs. 2,276.

 “The dealers are saying that there is no fertiliser, now we have to import it from India,” Mahato said. “There is a fear that the Indian police will arrest and detain us when we bring fertiliser from India.”

Farmers in Parsa Rural Municipality have filed a petition with the rural municipality’s judicial committee complaining that the cooperatives were selling fertiliser in the black market.

Ward Chairman of Parsa Rural Municipality-5 Anil Kumar Yadav said that the farmers were sent to the judicial committee after the fertiliser dispute could not be resolved.

“Fertiliser is arriving in small quantities, but the demand is high,” said Ward Chairman Yadav. “I have planted wheat with fertiliser brought from India after not getting the frertilisers provided by the government in subsidy.”

Another farmer Binod Sah of Haripurba Municipality-6 said that he bought a bag of DAP fertiliser in the black market for Rs. 3,500 to sow wheat. 

Acting Branch Manager of Agriculture Inputs Company Limited, Nawalpur of Sarlahi, Dhruba Prasad Sah, said that it was the responsibility of the municipality to determine the selling price of fertiliser which is brought by cooperatives from AICL Office and market monitoring.

Sah said that he also received complaints that fertiliser was being sold on the way in some places.

“From here, we have been providing fertiliser to all cooperatives at the same price according to the fertiliser quota. The municipality has the right to determine the price,” said Sah.

“The monitoring of black marketing should also be done by the people’s representatives and the municipality. Although there is widespread black marketing in fertiliser, the relevant bodies have not been able to monitor it,” he said.

Assistant Chief District Officer of Sarlahi Hom Prasad Ghimire said that a committee would be formed in the municipality under the leadership of the deputy mayor and vice-chairman to monitor the sale and distribution of fertiliser.

 According to him, when complaints are received about black marketing in fertiliser, he has been calling the directors and responsible persons of cooperatives in the district to apprise them of the issue.