Centre cracks down on fertiliser black-marketing, reviews MSP procurement

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday chaired a virtual meeting with state agriculture ministers, flagging gaps in farmer registration, fertiliser distribution, and pulse procurement under PM-AASHA.

With 9.25 crore farmer IDs created across 19 states so far, Chouhan directed state governments to mount a joint campaign between agriculture and revenue departments to hit 100 per cent coverage of the scheme within six months.

He stressed that registration must go beyond PM-Kisan beneficiaries to include all eligible farmers, an official statement said.

On fertilisers, the minister came down hard on hoarding and black-marketing, asking states to enforce strict checks -- particularly in border areas, where he flagged illegal movement of inputs as a pressing concern.

 

He called for a technology-based distribution system to ensure equitable access and nudged states towards promoting organic and natural farming to curb imbalanced fertiliser use.

Haryana's 'Meri Fasal, Mera Byora' scheme drew praise from Chouhan, who held it up as a replicable model.

The meeting also reviewed MSP procurement of pulses and oilseeds under PM-AASHA, with 12 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana, recently cleared for procurement of crops ranging from chana and masur to groundnut and sunflower.

Chouhan insisted procurement be restricted to FAQ-grade produce, with Aadhaar-linked registration and biometric authentication made mandatory at centres, and payments routed directly to farmers through DBT.

Chouhan announced that regional agriculture conferences will begin in Jaipur on April 7, covering the western zone first, as part of a five agro-climatic zone structure for targeted policy discussions.

He also urged states to revive the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan in May -- a 15-to-20-day field campaign that last year saw scientists visit over 60,000 villages across 728 districts. ICAR and the ministry will backstop the effort, with focus areas including soil health, seed quality, and balanced fertiliser use.

The meeting was attended by agriculture ministers and representatives from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh.