Jaipur, Feb 20 (IANS) Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena informed the Assembly on Friday that the state government has ensured adequate availability of fertilisers for farmers, even exceeding demand in several cases.

He also said the government has taken strict action against black marketers and those selling counterfeit fertilisers and seeds.

He further stated that the Central Government is set to introduce a stringent law to ensure the quality and uninterrupted supply of seeds and fertilisers, with provisions for up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20 lakh for violations.

Responding to supplementary questions raised by MLA Shri Ghanshyam during Question Hour, the Minister said that effective management by the state government prevented the kind of fertiliser distribution issues witnessed under the previous regime.

He explained that the extended monsoon season maintained soil moisture and increased the sowing area.

Meena said that during 2024-25, against a demand of 26.20 lakh metric tonnes of urea, 29.29 lakh metric tonnes were made available.

He added that an additional one lakh metric tonnes of urea and 50,000 metric tonnes of DAP will be stocked for February and March.

The Minister said officers were deployed at fertiliser distribution centres and strict quality control measures were enforced.

He also informed the House that 27 factories have been sealed in connection with seed and fertiliser violations.

Comparing the previous five-year Congress government with the current two-year tenure, he said no FIRs were registered in seed-related cases earlier, whereas five have been registered now.

In a written reply to the original question, the Minister stated that the demand for 11.50 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 6.00 lakh metric tonnes of DAP for Kharif 2024 (April–September 2024) was sent to the Government of India on February 5, 2024.

For Rabi 2024–25 (October 2024–March 2025), a demand of 15.00 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 4.50 lakh metric tonnes of DAP was sent on August 21, 2024.

Similarly, the demand for Kharif 2025 (April–September 2025) – 12.00 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 6.00 lakh metric tonnes of DAP – was sent on January 31, 2025, while for Rabi 2025–26 (October 2025-March 2026), a demand of 15.00 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 3.50 lakh metric tonnes of DAP was sent on August 8, 2025.

He said all demands were submitted to the government of India on time during zonal conferences held before the crop seasons.

Additionally, 2.61 lakh metric tonnes of NPK and 4.73 lakh metric tonnes of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) were made available as alternatives to DAP, ensuring an uninterrupted fertiliser supply across the state.

–IANS

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