500 sacks of NPK fertilizer reach Sambhal after 10-day shortage

A report by Rajat Malhotra said that 500 sacks of 12:32:16 NPK fertilizer reached the Sadhan Cooperative Society in Saundhan Mohammadpur village of the Sambhal tehsil area in Sambhal district after farmers had waited for around 10 days.

The truck carrying the fertilizer arrived at the society at around 4 pm on Monday. It brought a total of 500 sacks. As soon as the information spread, farmers from nearby villages began gathering at the society.

The stock of NPK fertilizer at the society had been completely exhausted for about 10 days. This had caused serious difficulty for farmers in the area. The sowing period for wheat and potatoes, the main crops of the rabi season, was underway. NPK fertilizer is most needed during this period.

Because the fertilizer was unavailable, the sowing work of several farmers was getting delayed. Many others were being forced to buy fertilizer from private shops at prices that were 100 to 150 rupees higher per sack.

Cooperative Society Secretary Rovin Chaudhary said that the new consignment had arrived that evening after continuous demand was sent to the government. He said the fertilizer had arrived at a new rate.

According to Chaudhary, the entire stock was being counted, matched and entered in the register on Monday evening. He said the process was being carried out transparently to ensure that there was no kind of irregularity.

He said distribution of the fertilizer to farmers would begin from 10 am on Tuesday. Farmers would be required to bring their Aadhaar card, a photocopy of their khatauni and the cooperative society passbook to make the distribution process easier.

Farmers who are members of the society would be given priority. The distribution would take place on a first-come, first-served basis.

Local farmers Rampal Singh, Satendra and Mahendra said that farmers from Saundhan, Mohammadpur, Deverkheda, Akruli and more than a dozen nearby villages depend on this one cooperative society for fertilizer.

They said the shortage over the past 10 days had caused the work of sowing wheat after the potato harvest to fall completely behind schedule. They added that the availability of fertilizer at the government rate would bring major relief to farmers and help speed up sowing.

The secretary also said that a demand for urea and DAP had been sent to the government. He expressed full hope that vehicles carrying APK (DAP) and urea would arrive within another one or two days.

The arrival of the fertilizer has raised hopes among farmers in the area that they will not face a shortage of any type of fertilizer. The news has also created a sense of relief and happiness among farmers after the prolonged wait at the society.