Curb on sale of fertilizers in high price without registration ID in Lakhimpur

Agriculture Department directs 16 retailers to stop selling fertilizers

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Dhakuakhana Subdivisional Office of the Agriculture Department of Lakhimpur district has directed 16 fertilizer retailer shops under the subdivision, which have possessed no registration ID, to close the selling of fertilizers.

The order in this connection was issued after the Dhakuakhana Subdivisional Office of the Agriculture Department had launched an inquiry into 28 fertilizer retailer and two dealer shops under the subdivision in the wake of an allegation that some such shops had been selling the fertilizers at high prices by violating the due regulations concerned.

Notably, a heavy amount of fertilizers, stocked in a fertilizer shop at Ghilamora under the subdivision, without registration ID, was recovered some days back. Following the development, the district administration had locked down the fertilizer retailer shop and the Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur district instructed the Agriculture Department to launch an inquiry into the issue to find out whether the rest fertilizer retailer and dealers shops had possessed the registration ID. During the inquiry, it came to light that a total of 16 fertilizer retailer shops out of 28 of the same and 2 dealer shops had not possessed the registration ID concerned to sell fertilizers as per norms. This inquiry has been underway in the North Lakhimpur subdivision of the district too at present.

Notably, the fertilizer retailers and dealers were mandated to sell the fertilizers to farmers only after obtaining the purchasers' biometric identification (ID) on PoS (Point of Sale) machines under the Centre's Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on fertilisers scheme. By introducing this process, the selling process of the fertilizers with subsidy has been made cashless. The fertilizers are supplied to the farmers for their benefit in view of the development of the agriculture sector.

But most of the fertilizer dealers and retailers across the State have been selling the same at high prices without possessing the registration ID with PoS machine to complete the online cashless transaction process. The 16 retailers under the Dhakuakhana subdivision also did not possess the registration ID to date. Under such circumstances, these retailers purchased the fertilizers from other bonafide dealers by using the Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) of some farmers. Then they sold them at high prices. It is known that a 45 kg packet of urea is sold at rupees from 420 to 500 while the packaged price of the same is only Rs. 266. During the season of mustard cultivation, the price of a packet of urea hikes up to Rs. 700 and Rs. 800. Similarly, the DAP is sold at rupees from 30,000 to 35,000 per ton instead of its genuine price of Rs 24,000.

Also Read: Kamrup Metro District Administration to Check Prices of Fertilizers