Based on a complaint by the Rupnagar District Agriculture Officer, a case has been registered under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, against Sohi Kheti Sewa Centre, a fertilizer distributor, and Manpreet Singh, a rake handler, at the Rupnagar police station.
SNPNEWS.IN News Update By Gurmail Kamboj: As the sowing season for Rabi crops approaches across the country, there has been a significant surge in demand for DAP and Urea fertilizers. Taking advantage of this, fertilizer manufacturing companies and distributors are allegedly engaging in black marketing of fertilizers.
Companies are bundling fertilizers like DAP and Urea with additional products such as Prom, Bio-Potash, Sulphur, Biostimulant, and Micoraza. Distributors are forcing dealers to purchase these tagged products at rates two to three times higher than the market price. This coercive practice is imposing a financial burden on small shopkeepers and farmers.
To curb this exploitation, the Central Government had recently taken several measures, but they have not yielded significant results. Consequently, on August 12, small shopkeepers in Rupnagar held a meeting with MLA Dinesh Chadha and submitted a memorandum highlighting their issues and seeking solutions to the problem of forced tagging.
Following this, MLA Dinesh Chadha met with the Chief Agriculture Officer of Rupnagar dr. Gurmail Singh to address the shopkeepers’ concerns. Based on the officer’s complaint, an FIR (No. 273) was registered at Rupnagar police station under the Essential Commodities Act against Sohi Kheti Sewa Centre and rake handler Manpreet Singh.
Providing details about the case, MLA Dinesh Chadha stated that he is continuously working to stop the black marketing of fertilizers. He further warned that if any distributor attempts to disrupt the fertilizer supply, the Agriculture Department, in consultation with the Joint Director of Agriculture (JDA), will immediately arrange alternative measures to ensure that farmers face no difficulties during crop sowing.