The Rajasthan government has stepped up measures to curb the misuse, black marketing, illegal storage, hoarding and diversion of subsidised urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) to industrial units, with a view to protecting farmers’ interests and ensuring adequate supplies at subsidised rates, an Agriculture Department official said.
The Agriculture Commissionerate has issued strict directives across the state, clarifying that the use of subsidised fertilisers earmarked for farmers for non-agricultural purposes will not be tolerated.
“Accountability will be fixed not only for those involved in such irregularities but also for officials who show negligence in addressing these issues,” Agriculture Commissioner Naresh Kumar Goyal said.
He said the Centre provides a substantial subsidy of around ₹2,700 per bag of Urea and ₹3,500 per bag of DAP to ensure their availability to farmers at affordable rates.
“The objective of this financial assistance is to reduce farming costs, provide economic relief to farmers, and boost agricultural production. Consequently, the use of subsidised fertilisers for industrial or other non-agricultural purposes constitutes a betrayal of farmers’ interests and a misuse of government resources,” Goyal said.
To strengthen monitoring and prevent the non-agricultural use of subsidised urea, the state government has established an accountability mechanism for industrial units. Entities engaged in activities such as plywood, resins and animal feed production, among others, are required to submit monthly details to departmental officials on their procurement of non-subsidised urea and corresponding production output.
The mechanism ensures that industrial units use only non-subsidised urea procured through authorised channels, preventing the diversion of subsidised fertilisers meant for farmers.
The government has said its priority is to ensure that subsidies reach the intended beneficiaries and farmers get fertilisers on time and at fair prices.
However, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, while criticising the Bhajanlal Government on the fertiliser issue in a post on X recently said, “Farmers in the state are facing a double whammy. The monsoon failed them, causing crops to wither, and now, when they desperately need fertiliser, it remains unavailable. The distribution system across state cooperative societies has completely collapsed; farmers wander from pillar to post all day, only to return empty-handed.”
