Khammam: Ignorance of farmers is proving beneficial to fertiliser companies and distributors. Farmers had lost as much as Rs 10 crore due to lack of awareness.
The distributors, who should sell fertilisers to farmers through point of sale (PoS) system machines are selling the same by taking money from them. This will deprive the farmers from getting the subsidy. If the distributor uses the PoS machine, the subsidy will directly get deposited into the account of the farmer. They are losing crores of rupees subsidy. The small and marginal farmers are a worried lot with the high prices being collected for the DAP, 28:28:0, 20:20:13, potash, urea, 14:35:14 and 24:24:08 fertilisers.
The farmers in Khammam district use more of 20:20:13 fertiliser complex. The price of raw materials used in preparing the fertiliser have reduced drastically at the international level. As per the rules, the companies should reduce the selling price accordingly.
However, the distributors are selling 20:20:13 complex for the same Rs 1,150 a bag (weighing 50 kg) against the Rs 1,030 for which it has to be sold.
During kharif, the farmers lift 72,000 urea bags followed by 1.05 lakh tonne of complex fertilisers. These apart, they buy 32,000 tonne DAP 23,000 tonne potash. The fertiliser companies are also not reducing the price of manure based on the use of raw material.
At present, the price of DAP is Rs 1,350 a 50-kg bag but it is being sold to the farmers at Rs 1,430, Rs 80 more than the original price. Some dealers hoarding old stock are selling them now, for more. The distributors are exploiting the farmers keeping the urgency for manure on mind.
In case any farmer enters into an argument with the distributor regarding the price, the dealers say that they have only limited stock and are not sure if they would be able to get more stock. cannot get more it after completion of the stock.
At the same time, it is very difficult for the farmers to check the prices of fertilisers in other towns because time is very precious for them now.
They have to spray the fertilisers when there are copious rains.
