Haryana revises fertilisers policy

The policy has been revised to further strengthen the cooperative institutions engaged in supply of fertilisers to the farmers in rural areas

The Haryana Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) has revised the policy for supply of fertilisers to the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACSs) and Cooperative Marketing Societies (CMSs).

A spokesman of the HAFED said here today that the policy has been revised, on the directions of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to further strengthen these cooperative institutions engaged in the supply of fertilisers to the farmers in the rural areas.

It has also been done keeping in view the long standing demand of these PACSs and CMSs to increase distribution margin on sale of fertilisers. He said HAFED is the only state nodal agency for arrangements and distribution of fertilizers through the cooperative network in Haryana.

Under the Fertilizer Supply Policy-2013 effective from September 27, 2013, the HAFED has substantially increased distribution margin of PACSs and CMSs on sale of fertilisers in addition to providing credit facility to them, he said.

The new scheme would provide additional benefit to these cooperative institutions to the tune of about Rs 6 crore annually.

"Employees of PACSs and CMSs shall also be incentivised for their target based performance. Representatives of PACSs and CMSs had since long been demanding for increase in sales margin on sale of fertilisers and also for increase in credit period on fertiliser supplies," he said.

The share of cooperative network of PACSs and CMSs in the annual sale of DAP and Urea in Haryana is about 45 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.

"The HAFED has been successfully arranging timely supplies of these fertilisers to the farmers at their door steps through these cooperative institutions. The new fertiliser scheme will not only increase the business income of PACSs and CMSs, but also help in bringing the farmers and these cooperatives more closer by facilitating hassle-free distribution of fertilisers to the farmers at their door steps," he added.

The spokesman said that New Fertiliser Supply Policy- 2013 would motivate the PACSs and CMSs to make advance stocking of fertilisers during off-season.

This will also ensure optimum utilisation of storage space available with PACSs and CMSs to their benefit, thereby strengthening the cooperative network at village level by making them financially sound.

"With the timely placement of fertilisers at PACSs and CMSs, sale flow shall automatically increase, thereby reducing the retention period of fertilisers in the godowns," he said.

He said that distribution margin of PACSs and retailer CMSs on sale of DAP and Urea has been increased from Rs 60 per tonne to Rs 200 per tonne in case of DAP and Rs 90 per tonne in case of Urea.