Raipur: Chhattisgarh Farmers are forced to pay a higher price for procuring Di-Ammonium phosphate (DAP). On 19 May, PMO decided to increase the subsidy for Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser from Rs.500 per bag to Rs. 1200 per bag, an increase of 140 percent.
The hike in fertilizer prices had sparked outrage among farmers. Earlier, the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) mentioned how the DAP is a primary fertilizer during sowing of different Kharif crops like paddy, cotton, groundnut.
During a high-level meeting, Union Ministers discussed the rising fertilizer prices affected by the internationally rising prices of phosphoric acid, ammonia.
However, the General Manager of MARKFED stated that it had purchased the batch prior to the centre’s announcement, and so it has decided to levy the previous charges on DAP procurement. The first batch purchased by the federation weighed nearly 30,119 tonnes for which Rs 1,800-1,950 will be charged depending on the seller companies.
Annually, the central government spends about Rs 80,000 crore on subsidies for chemical fertilisers. The recent spike will result in an additional cost of Rs. 14,775 crore. However, the DAP fertilizer is also one of the most crucial manures for farmers.
The State government has admonished the Union government to subsidize the fertilizer bought before May 20 and a reply is still awaited.