Those purchasing more than one ton of fertilizer will be investigated.
Jagran correspondent, Basti. The Agriculture Department has geared up to curb the alleged misuse and black marketing of subsidized fertilizers in the agriculture sector. In a significant and strict step, a thorough scrutiny of the records of all those farmers and individuals who have purchased more than one tonne (1000 kg) of subsidized fertilizer has now been initiated.
On the instructions of the Director of Agriculture, this verification campaign will be conducted on a war footing. Its main objective is to ensure that the manure is being used only for agricultural purposes and is not being taken advantage of by middlemen or non-agricultural users.
In the action, it has been made clear that this campaign will not be just a paper supply, but physical verification will be done from the farmers by going to every village at the ground level. The teams will go to all those persons who have purchased fertilizer more than the prescribed limit.
On the spot, the area of their fields will be seen and it will be checked whether the quantity of fertilizer purchased is as per the requirement of the agricultural land they have or not. The buyer will have to prove that the purchased fertilizer has actually been used in his fields.
There is a fear that after purchasing fertilizer on a large scale, it is being used for non-agricultural purposes or is being black marketed at a higher price. All such possible cases will be identified during verification.
If irregularities are found in the investigation or it is proved that the fertilizer has been misused, it will be legal to withdraw the subsidy benefit against the concerned person or farmer.
The objective of the department is to provide relief to the genuine farmers. We will not tolerate misappropriation of subsidized fertilizers under any circumstances. Purchasing more than one tonne is a big sign, which needs to be investigated thoroughly. The suspected farmers will be verified in the entire district and action will be taken against the culprits. -Dr. BR Maurya, District Agriculture Officer, Basti.
License suspended for repeatedly selling urea to the same farmer
The District Agriculture Officer on Saturday caught the case of Verma Khad Bhandar Parasrampur repeatedly giving excessive quantity of urea to the same farmer. He has sought clarification from Verma Khad Bhandar Pratisthan by suspending its authorization letter with immediate effect.
DAO said that at present the adequate availability of urea in the district is 9996 metric tons. So far in the Rabi season, 24871 MT fertilizer has been distributed in the district and rakes of urea are being continuously received in the district.