Fertiliser prices go through the roof, AIKS demands roll-back

Image Courtesy:thehindu.com

Farmers have condemned the central government’s decision to increase prices of essential fertilisers just before the start of the Kharif season. Members of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) have demanded that the central government roll back these prices to make agriculture viable again.

Already, the hike in prices of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) is as high as 58 percent from Rs. 1,200 per bag of 50 kg to Rs. 1,900 per bag, said AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah. Citing reports, he said prices of Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (NPK) fertilisers rose by 52 percent or an increase of Rs. 615 per bag. This means prices increased from around Rs. 1,175 per bag to Rs. 1,790 per bag.

“Potash prices have risen by Rs. 850 per bag almost doubling from around Rs. 875 per bag in May, 2020 to Rs.1,725 per bag. Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate (APS) prices have risen by Rs. 425 per bag, i.e., from about Rs. 925 per bag to about Rs. 1,350 per bag, about 46 percent increase,” he said.

Moreover, increasing diesel prices resulted in an exorbitant increase in cost of irrigation and tilling using tractors and tillers. The central government is yet to accept farmers’ demand for a fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) at 50 percent more than Cost of Production (C2+50 percent) despite increasing input costs. Farmers claim this increase in fertiliser prices is a direct attack on Indian farmers.

“The fraud played on farmers by the BJP Government and Narendra Modi, who are advertising in a big way that Rs. 2,000 has been transferred to the banks of 8.69 crore farmers under PM-KISAN has to be exposed. In fact even if one considers only DAP and that in a hectare a farmer uses 4 bags the increase in input cost is Rs. 2,800 per hectare,” said Mollah.

This increase in prices comes at a time when peak buying of fertilisers take place for the Kharif sowing. Farmers use DAP as a primary fertiliser during sowing of crops like paddy, cotton, groundnut etc. Such price-hikes will adversely affect tenant farmers, poor and middle farmers, who may have to rely on private money lenders.

The AIKS accused the Centre of filling the coffers of corporate fertiliser companies at the cost of farmers’ livelihood. Accordingly, it called for a control on fertiliser prices to keep a check on arbitrary decisions of companies that are profiteering during Covid-19.