6 days ago
Traders warned against diversion of urea
Eluru: District collector K Vetriselvi has warned that legal action will be taken against shop owners if urea is diverted for purposes other than agriculture.
A district-level review meeting was held at the Collectorate here on Thursday with representatives from fertiliser manufacturers, wholesalers, retail dealers, agriculture, cooperatives, Markfed, DCMS and others. Collector Vetriselvi and joint collector P Dhatri Reddy participated in the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Vetriselvi said that the district administration is ready to supply all the required fertilisers in the district. Dealers should act responsibly without causing any trouble to the farmers.
She warned that strict action will be taken against those who stock fertilisers illegally, sell them at high prices, and engage in black marketing. Teams comprising agriculture department officials have been formed to conduct surprise inspections on fertiliser shops and warehouses. The collector clarified that it is not allowed to store unauthorised fertilisers and pesticides in shops. There will be special vigilance on this matter so that the fertilizers specified for the district cannot be diverted. While selling fertilisers to meet the needs of the farmers, the relevant documents should be checked and sold through biometrics. The fertiliser movement plan should be strictly implemented.
Farmers should be made aware of the problems arising due to the use of fertilisers beyond the limit. Farmers should be sensitised on integrated nutrient management with nano fertilizers and nano fertilisers should be promoted. Drones have been made available in large numbers in the district and they should be encouraged.
Dealers have a social responsibility to provide timely fertilisers to farmers so that there is no shortage of fertilisers in Kharif. The supply of urea and other fertilisers to aquaculture should be controlled. Necessary monthly plan should be implemented to supply fertilizers until November, she said.
Joint collector Dhatri Reddy said that records of fertilizer and pesticide stocks should be maintained. They should be checked by the Mandal Agriculture Department officials. Fertilisers should be provided to farmers on the basis of eCRAFT registration and biometrics. Fertilisers should be provided to farmers without any hassle.
Eluru AMC Chairman Mamillapalli Parthasarathy, District Agriculture Officer Habib Basha, Markfed DM Prasad Gupta, DCO Srinivas, several fertilizer manufacturers, wholesale and retail dealers, DCMS and Agriculture Department officials participated in the meeting.