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More DAP trouble for Punjab farmers
Punjab faces a farm crisis with a DAP shortage for the rabi season, needing 5.5 LMT but allocated only 4.68 LMT, risking wheat and vegetable sowing.
Punjab is staring at a big farm crisis as the state is likely to grapple with an acute shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) this rabi season.
DAP is largely an import-oriented farm product supplied to the states by the central government. This farm nutrient is used during the sowing of wheat, potatoes and mustard. Wheat sowing in Punjab starts after October 15, while in the southwest districts, the sowing starts from the first week of November.
Punjab had forwarded a requirement of 5.5 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of DAP for the rabi season and was allocated merely 4.68 LMT from the central pool.
As per the state’s estimates, it needs 4.8 LMT just for wheat, while 80,000 is for vegetable crops.
As of Saturday, Punjab has received only 1.56 LMT of DAP, which includes supply by private players. In October, Punjab is slated to receive 2.5 LMT and any shortfall in arrivals will aggravate the farm crisis. As per the government data accessed by HT, the state has received only 1788 MT to date in October.
Markfed Punjab, the nodal agency for the management of DAP in the state, officials said there is a huge shortage of DAP across the country.
“Following repeated requests by the CM and chief secretary to the Union government, Punjab has been allocated 2.5 LMT of DAP for October. If this actually arrives, then somehow the situation can be handled,” a senior official, familiar with the matter, said, pleading anonymity.
“The crisis along the Red Sea in the Middle East has impacted the supplies. DAP imports from China have also been hit,” a Markfed official added, pleading anonymity.
The Markfed official added that even if the remaining supply of DAP reaches by the first week of November then also it will be chaotic to distribute it across the state within the sowing period.
Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian could not be contacted for comment. Texts and messages to him remained unanswered.
