Rohtak DAP Traders Force Farmers to Buy Extra Products Due to Shortage

The shortage of diammonium phosphate (DAP) is Haryana has forced hapless farmers to buy extra products from traders selling fertilisers and pesticides who are fleecing them.

Traders force them to buy unnecessary products along with the required ones as the fertiliser is in shortage, The Tribune reported.

When farmers, needing DAP for the current wheat sowing season, go to fertiliser shops, they are forced to buy other products like nano-urea, zinc and sulphur, etc.

“DAP is essentially required during the sowing of wheat, but remains in short supply. Taking advantage of the situation, the traders compel us to buy other products like sulphur, zinc and nano-urea, etc. along with DAP,” Dharampal, a farmer of Mokhra village, Rohtak district, told the newspaper.

Wheat farmers in other villages have also complained that shopkeepers force them to purchased other products more profitable for them.

Farmers lamented that shopkeepers are exploiting them due to the DAP shortage to make profits and achieve their targets.

“It is our compulsion to buy DAP for sowing wheat crop. Hence, we have no option but to buy other products along with DAP as asked by the traders,” laments Dinesh, from Aanwal village.

Farmers also alleged that the government is indifferent towards their problem. They had aired their grievance to senior officers of the Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare at the last meeting of the Kisan Club in Rohtak but to no avail.

Karam Chand, deputy director (agriculture), Rohtak, said that dealers have been warned against selling extra products to farmers forcibly.

“We have issued a written circular and also categorically told dealers not to indulge in such practice at a recent meeting. If any farmer is still forced to buy products to get DAP, he can lodge a complaint with us. Strict legal action will be taken against the dealer found guilty,” he stated.

In November first week, The Tribune reported that DAP shortage could impact the sowing and productivity of Rabi crops in the Palwal district.

The district needs around 2.50 lakh bags of DAP for the around 2.60 lakh acres under cultivation but farmers have been able to get only 1.25 lakh bags, sources in the district administration told the newspaper.

The short supply has perhaps been due to less quantity in each rack allocated for the district, an official on condition of anonymity said.

“We have been running from pillar to post for the past two weeks to get adequate quantity of DAP but could get only less than half of the required quantity and that too at higher price,” said Raj Kumar, a farmer from Chhajju Nagar village.