Farmers Anxious Over DAP Shortage, Probable Crop Damage in Haryana, UP

New Delhi: It is the seventh consecutive day for Deshpal Dahiya to return home without DAP bags from Kharkhoda mandi in Sonipat district of Haryana. Frustrated with long queues and consistent apathy, he has decided to sow wheat this season without DAP fertiliser. Di- ammonium Phosphate or DAP is a water-solvent fertiliser required to provide much-needed nitrogen and phosphorus for growth of plants. However, the anxiety over crop quality and quantity is haunting millions of farmers across the country.

In addition, there are reports that the shortage of DAP is turning into a law and order problem with fertiliser bags being distributed under strict police security in districts like Faridabad, Nuh, Bhiwani and Fatehabad in Haryana. 

Talking to NewsClick over phone, Dahiya said the productivity and quality of the crop is bound to be affected. “The volume of grain will be less. DAP is like colostrum to the crop. They are providing liquid Nano DAP.  We are experimenting with it and remain are unsure about its efficacy,” he added.

He accused the state government of making “lame excuses” to justify the shortage. “Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is citing the Ukraine- Russia war for the delay in arrival of fertilisers. The war is going on for almost three years now. Did they not know that farmers would need fertilisers at this juncture? The government is treating us like enemies. First, the procurement arrangements were made so late that the farmers sold the paddy to private players at a loss. If it was procured, the lifting of grains from mandis was late. Then stubble burning fines became a menace. The National Green Tribunal laid down clear provisions that the government can only penalise farmers if they are burning stubble in spite of machinery and others assistance,” he said.

Harender Singh, a farmer from Sonjhana Jhaya village in Bulandshahar district in Uttar Pradesh, had a similar tale. He alleged that co-operative societies were threatening farmers with dismissal of bonds with sugar mills if they refused to buy Nano-DAP bottles.

Taking to NewsClick over phone, Singh said, “In our part of the district, we cultivate both sugarcane and wheat. I own 40 bighas of land and usually get four quintals of wheat per bigha. Our co-operative society received 250 quintals of DAP bags. Now, this society serves 13 villages. So, People were given two-three bags, whereas the we demanded 15 bags.”

He said the alternative being offered to them by the government in the form of Nano-DAP has already been used and rejected “as it did not yield desired results. Yet, we have to buy it because nobody wants to lose income from sale of sugarcane now.”

Dharmender Singh, spokesperson, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Arajnaitik) said that global prices of DAP had surged after the Ukraine-Russia war.

“First, the government released subsidy and imported the fertilisers. Now, it is not interested in providing subsidy. Apparently, the import volume of fertilisers was cut by half. Even if you want to bring in alternatives, you should have informed the farmers. You cannot bring in alternatives in the midst of a crisis,” he added. 

Inderjit Singh, vice-president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), told NewsClick that the government knew about the shortage of fertilisers. “Yet, it did not take enough steps to address the issue. The government is withdrawing from the agriculture which it is supposed to support.” he added.

“Our brothers in Punjab did everything against the tardy lifting of paddy; from blocking the roads to agitations and what not. Did not the government know that the paddy will arrive in the mandis? The paddy has been lifted late because the Centre did not make proper arrangements. It simply wants the procurement system and mandis to collapse. The Food Corporation of India has been deprived of funds to build godowns. There are no recruitments in it. All state procurement agencies are being discouraged.”

The AIKS leader said if the paddy was not lifted, “the farmers would have certainly dumped it at the mill gates or silos owned by big agro processing companies.  So, their first priority remains dismantling of APMC markets. Please remember, tardy lifting of paddy is not a government failure. It is being done deliberately.”

Singh criticised the approach the of Centre and Haryana. “Let’s take the question of stubble burning. It is an annual affair. Now, official reports suggest that there is 30% reduction in stubble burning. Yet, the Haryana government decides to double the fine on farmers. Farmers owning 5 acres or more will be fined Rs. 30,000 and those with two acres will pay Rs 5,000. What is the alternative available to farmers? The government is neither providing them promised incentives nor tools and machinery to deal with excess stubble. Fire crackers choked Delhi. What action did you take against the people who violated the rules? You blew the issue of stubble burning out of proportion to demonise the farmers”, he added.

Meanwhile, AIKS, in a statement said against 34.5 lakh tonnes foodgrain imported during April to September in 2023, this year only 19.7 lakh tonnes were imported during the same period. There has also been a fall in the domestic production. On October 1, 2024 merely 15-16 lakh tonnes were in stock against the recommended 27-30 lakh tonnes; this is while the estimated demand during mid-October to mid-December was about 60 lakh tonnes.

“Farmers are hit by shortages of DAP and also urea, MoP etc. And are reportedly having to pay about Rs.300-Rs 400 more than the government fixed MRP of DAP i.e., Rs.1,350/- per 50-kg bag,” read the statement. 

“Rather than accept the failure and take urgent corrective measures, the Government is in a denial mode and indulging in propaganda on Nano-urea and Nano-DAP whose efficacy is questionable. India requires expansion of domestic manufacturing of urea and DAP. The rise in prices of fertilisers due to decontrol also is creating problems. The government needs to secure long-term deals for Muriate of Potash and DAP with other nations. Closure of Public Sector Fertiliser factories also has created problems. Public Sector Fertiliser factories should be reopened and strengthened,” the AIKS said.