The Hindu Business Line : Dedicated fertiliser dept in States under consideration

The move will come as a follow up of the DoF asking the States to give a day-to-day movement plan for fertilisers on a monthly basis, in advance, including logistics details.

Our Bureau

New Delhi, June 28 In the backdrop of a fertiliser shortage complaint from States, the Department of Fertilisers (DoF) is mulling the idea of asking the States to have a dedicated team of officials for the seamless transit of fertilisers from railway points to the districts and eventually to the blocks.

For this, it may be necessary to set up a new department of fertiliser like at the Centre, sources in the department said.

As of now, fertiliser related matters in the States are handled by officials from the respective State agriculture ministries for whom it is an additional seasonal job every year and as such does not get priority, department sources said.

The move will come as a follow up of the DoF asking States to give a day-to-day movement plan for fertilisers on a monthly basis, in advance, including logistics.

This involves detailing the companies supplying to various areas from different plants as well as the date of despatch.

Shortages happen at local levels even when there are stocks lying idle at the district centres, officials said, and added that the Ministry is monitoring stock movements electronically up to the district level and plans to extend it to the block level by next year.

“But ground-level monitoring like checking stock movement and quality, finding out if they are reaching the target place or if dealers are hoarding them have to be done by the State Government and would to be a round-the-year job,” the official said.

The official said that every season, logistic problems are the same, such as non-availability of transport vehicles and low storage facilities in small centers where stocks pile up, leading to scarcity. As soon as the rains begin, supplies to the larger centers increase.

“By forming a new dedicated department, the State governments will be able to solve the problems better,” he said.