Only 7pc Urea and 71pc DAP left in stock in District Ludhiana: Chief Agriculture Officer

Ludhiana: Due to the acute shortage of urea and diammonia phosphate (DAP) fertiliser in the district Ludhiana, it is likely to affect the sowing of wheat and potato crop. Chief Agriculture Officer Ludhiana Dr Narinder Singh Benipal informed that only around 7% stocks of urea and around 71% stocks of DAP fertiliser are left in the district and they are also depleting slowly.

The sowing of wheat crop is expected to start from the first week of November and with the shortage of both urea and DAP, it is likely to affect the sowing, resulting in problems for the farmers.

It is pertinent to mention that the farmer bodies in Punjab have already allowed operations of goods trains in the state.

In district Ludhiana, wheat is sown on around 2.5 lakh hectare, potato on13,500 hectare, along with some other crops.

Dr Benipal informed that against a demand of 47,432 tonnes of urea in the cooperative societies of the district, only around 3506 tonne is left. Against demand of 6772 tonnes in Payal, the availability is 568 tonnes, in Ludhiana (West), against demand of 7043 tonnes, availability is 478 tonnes, in Ludhiana (East), against demand of 5989 tonnes, availability is 511 tonnes, in Raikot, against demand of 7452 tonnes, availability is 320 tonnes, in Khanna, against demand of 2763 tonnes, availability is 490 tonnes, in Samrala, against demand of 5603 tonnes, availability is 685 tonnes and in Jagraon, against demand of 11857 tonnes, availability is 453 tonnes.

Similarly, the supply of DAP fertiliser in district Ludhiana is 16343 tonnes against a demand of 23113 tonnes. In Payal, against demand of 3592 tonnes, availability is 2478 tonnes, in Ludhiana (West), against demand of 3568 tonnes, availability is 1941 tonnes, in Ludhiana (East), against demand of 3050 tonnes, availability is 2066 tonnes, in Raikot, against demand of 2989 tonnes, availability is 1939 tonnes, in Khanna, against demand of 1647 tonnes, availability is 1425 tonnes, in Samrala, against demand of 3322 tonnes, availability is 2667 tonnes, and in Jagraon, against demand of 4943 tonnes, availability is 3824 tonnes.

He said that the situation is such that the availability of both urea and DAP fertiliser in the private sector is nil.