Minister Claim Compulsory Neem Coating of Urea Kills Urea Diversion
·
Diversion
of highly subsidized urea towards non-agricultural purposes negligible after
mandatory production and distribution of only Neem Coated Urea
·
No
shortage of Urea or any other Fertilizer in the Country and Availability is
more than Sales: Shri Rao Inderjit Singh
Minister of State for Planning (IC) and
Chemicals & Fertilizers, Rao Inderjit Singh, in a
written reply to a question on neem coated urea, in Lok
Sabha today, said that ‘Diversion of highly subsidized urea towards
non-agricultural purposes is negligible among farmers after the introduction of
the mandatory policy of production and distribution of only Neem Coated Urea’,
as per a studyinstituted by Department of
Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), to determine the
impact of Neem Coated Urea. The interim report prepared by Agricultural
Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), Bengaluru has been
submitted by DAC& FW.
The Minister statedthat
Government of India has declared fertilizer as an essential commodity under the
Essential Commodities Act, 1955(ECA) and notified Fertilizer (Control) Order
(FCO), 1985 & Fertilizer (Movement Control) Order, 1973 under the EC
Act. State Governments have been adequately empowered to check diversion
of fertilizers and to conduct search, make seizures and take punitive action
against any person violating provisions of FCO, 1985 and Essential Commodities
Act, 1955. Neem coating of Urea is one of the measures to prevent
diversion. It is informed that during the period from 2016-17 to 2018-19 (till
date) only one case of diversion (in the year 2017-18) has been reported by the
State Government of Uttarakhand.
Shri Singh further stated that there is no
shortage of urea or any other fertilizer in the country and availability is
more than the sales.The cumulative availability &
sales of Urea and P&K fertilizers in the country for the year 2016-17 &
2017-18 and financial year 2018-19 (till December 2018) is indicated below in
the table:-
(Figure in ‘LMT’)
|
Year |
Urea |
P&K
Fertilizers |
||||
|
Availability |
Sales |
Availability |
Sales |
|
||
|
2016-17 |
309.08 |
296.07 |
215.19 |
203.01 |
|
|
|
2017-18 |
313.56 |
303.20 |
223.46 |
212.39 |
|
|
|
2018-19 |
235.87 |
232.32 |
186.15 |
169.73 |
|
|
Source:iFMS.
The Minister also gave the details of
production of Neem Coated Urea/Normal Urea in the country during the year
2015-16 and 2018-19 (up toDecember 2018), as given
below:-
(Figure in ‘LMT’)
|
Year |
Normal
Urea |
Neem
Coated urea |
|
2015-16 |
13.13 |
231.62 |
|
2016-17 |
- |
242.01 |
|
2017-18 |
- |
240.23 |
|
2018-19
(Upto Dec.18) |
- |
177.62 |