Vinod Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 25: Facing hardships after the demonetization of 500 and 1000 notes, the farmer community of Jammu province is irked over has acute shortage of quality fertilizers even as sowing season of Rabi crop is at its peak.
A farmer of RS Pura Jagdish Raj informed Early Times that apart from Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) was very much necessary during sowing of wheat crop as it was required during sowing period. "For the last many years, the farmers have been using DAP manufactured by Indian Farmer Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)", he said.
Pertinently, IFFCO is a cooperative society, which is amalgamation of thousands of state cooperatives and it produce quality DAP.
"Since we have trust on IFFCO DAP and this quality product had been maintaining our reliance for good produce for the last many years but for the last few years, we have been facing its shortage", said farmer Uttam Chand, adding that the Cooperative Department has failed to provide DAP of IFFCO.
He further said that due to none availability of DAP fertilizer of IFFCO, the farmers were compelled to purchase DAP fertilizer of other brands, including Sardar brand, manufactured in Punjab, Uttam fertilizer and IPL DAP, which are still to win the heart of farmers community.
He further said that farmers were of the view that DAP of other brands, would not give good results, so they preferred the DAP of IFFCO, but it was not available. "There can be a hidden nexus between the officials of Cooperative department, who may have been getting huge kickbacks from the private DAP manufacturers, but the IFFCO is a Cooperative, which will not offer any type of commission, so its product is not preferred by Cooperative department", the farmer alleged.
The incumbent government partner BJP claimed to be the champion of Jammu cause and pro farmers but after assuming power they have virtually forgotten the issues of farmers. Gian Chand Sharma, a farmer of Kathua said that in their district IFFCO's DAP was not available at all. "It is not the feature of Kathua district alone, which is facing huge shortage of DAP fertilizer but the adjoining districts Samba and Jammu are also facing the shortage, Sharma said, adding that he repeatedly visit both the district for purchasing IFFCO's DAP but all in vain. Officials of Cooperative Department were not contacted for comments. |
