Govt suspends fertilizer sale till Monday

Rajkot: The state government has suspend sale of fertilizer across the state till Monday after farmers complained of 300-700gm less fertilizer in 50kg bags at various government depots.
Gujarat chief secretary J N Singh on Saturday ordered state PSUs, Gujarat State Fertilizer & Chemical Limited (GSFC) and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Company Ltd (GNFC), to halt fertilizer sale for next two days and check the stocks at all depots.
The government’s decision comes in the wake of a series of complaints from farmers and opposition Congress over underweight bags of fertilizer 'Sardar DAP' (diammonium phosphate) being supplied. Farmers alleged that the 50kg actually contained 400 -700gm less fertilizer.
In a statement issued by Singh, he had directed the fertilizer companies to weigh the stock lying at all depots of GNFC and GSFC across the state and videograph the entire process on Saturday and Sunday.” The statement said that the sale of fertilizers will begin on Monday.
Meanwhile, Congress party workers on Saturday raided a few depots in Jamjodhpur in Jamnagar and Savarkundla in Amreli and found less fertilizers in 50kg bags.
The alleged scam had come to light early this week in Jetpur when a farmer complained of less weight in the fertilizer bags. He had found 400-700gm less fertilizer in 50kg bags of DAP fertilizer.
Meanwhile, Pal Ambalia, chairman of Gujarat Kisan Congress, alleged that on Friday they had raided a depot in Vinchiya near Jasdan in Rajkot district and found the bags with manufacturing year 2015 printed on it.
Shailesh Valand, a farmer from Undra village in Lunawada taluka of Mahisagar district, said that the 50kg bag of DAP that he had taken weighed 320gm less. “There are many others who found this out when they weighed their bags,” he added.
Rohit Patel, a farmer from the Bagidor village in Godhra taluka of Panchmahal district, said that one 50kg bag of NPK he took weighed 240gm less while two 45kg bags of urea weighed less by 230gm and 210gm. “I buy 40kg to 50kg bags of various fertilizers. If each bag weighs less by similar amount, you can guess the total shortfall. It does not affect cultivation in a major way, but at the same time it is not justified,” Patel.