DAP supply: Punjab govt deploys team for better coordination with Centre

Punjab agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha said the team of officers from the department would oversee the rakes allocation to Punjab while sitting in the control room made by the central government in New Delhi

The Punjab agriculture department on Tuesday constituted a team of officers who would sit in Delhi for better coordination with the Centre for meeting the demand of availability of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) in the state.

Punjab agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha.

Agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha said the team of officers from the department would oversee the rakes allocation to Punjab while sitting in the control room made by the central government in New Delhi. “This would help us asking for more share allocation against our pending demand of the DAP,” he said after a meeting to review availability of DAP in the state via video conferencing with all the chief agriculture officers.

The minister asked all chief agriculture officers of the districts to ensure that retailers, cooperative societies and even individual farmers, do not illegally hoard DAP unnecessarily, which may lead to panic buying and unrest amongst farmers of the state.

The officials were also directed to start intensive checking regarding the hoarding or black marketing of the DAP. He also directed the officials in the field to immediately register FIR against those who are caught in this malpractice.

Additional chief secretary (development) DK Tiwari asked officials to sensitise farmers to make use of alternative phosphatic fertilisers like NPK and SSP in place of DAP to fulfil requirements.