Nashik: New Fertiliser Purchase Rules May Trouble Farmers; MP Bhaskar Bhagre Seeks Relaxation

Nashik: Farmers may face difficulties due to the new online procedure being introduced for purchasing chemical fertilisers. Dindori Lok Sabha MP Bhaskar Rao Bhagre has written to Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the government to simplify the fertiliser purchase process and make it more farmer-friendly.

While the government’s objective of ensuring transparency, preventing hoarding and black marketing, and making subsidised fertilisers available to eligible farmers is justified, Bhagre stressed that practical difficulties faced by farmers in rural areas must also be considered.

Many farmers, particularly senior citizens, small landholders and those living in remote areas, may not have access to smartphones, internet facilities or online payment services. Problems such as poor connectivity, server failures, Aadhaar authentication issues and technical errors during online registration could prevent farmers from obtaining fertilisers on time.

Since sowing and crop growth depend heavily on the timely application of fertilisers, any delay caused by technical issues could adversely affect crop yields and farmers’ incomes.

Bhagre has therefore demanded that an offline option be retained even if the online system is made mandatory, and that no farmer should be denied fertiliser due to technical difficulties. He has also sought facilities at the village level through the Agriculture Department or authorised service centres, along with widespread awareness campaigns about the new rules.

Adequate fertiliser stocks should be maintained so that farmers can obtain fertilisers whenever required.

“Transparency is necessary in the interest of farmers, but it should not create new hardships for them,” Bhagre said, urging the Union Agriculture Minister to direct the concerned authorities to make the system more flexible, accessible and farmer-friendly.