Barwani (Madhya Pradesh): With the beginning of sowing season for the Rabi crops, long queues of farmers were being seen at government-run fertiliser centres near Krishi Upaj Mandi in Barwani district due to technical issues affecting distribution process.
The surge in fertiliser demand has failed systems, leading to prolonged waiting times and inconvenience for farmers. Long queues were witnessed, with farmers enduring hours-long waits for even a couple of bags of fertiliser.
Ram Singh, a local farmer from Chikhalia village expressed frustration after waiting since morning for their allocated quota of urea and DAP. Madiya, another affected farmer from a remote village, highlighted the economic burden, citing the cost of travelling approximately 35 km to fetch fertiliser for 12 acres of land.
Meanwhile, Ujer Khan, in-charge of the fertiliser centre, mentioned that the fertiliser distribution process was affected due to internet slowdown. This has compelled the centre to prioritise distribution for the remaining farmers on the following day. Women were given priority in the distribution system.
Reports suggested that urea is being distributed at Rs 266.50 per bag and DAP at Rs 1350 per bag. There was no shortage of fertiliser at the centre as of now.
Mansharam Panchole, district president of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh mentioned that due to a shortage of centres, farmers were left with no option but to travel long distances and incur additional expenses.
