Chandigarh, October 30
Expressing deep concern over the severe shortage of DAP fertilizer in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab said that the shortage of fertilizer would adversely affect the Rabi crops especially wheat sowing; which will result in huge economic loss to the state and the farmers. Blaming the Narendra Modi-led central government and the Channi government of Punjab for the lack of DAP, the AAP Punjab Kisan Wing state president and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan alleged that due to lack of fertilizer, black marketing has increased and financial exploitation of the farmers has also started.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, “There is a huge shortage of DAP fertilizer in the whole of Punjab as 5.5 lakh tonnes of DAP is required for sowing Rabi crop in Punjab. But, the BJP-led central government is not supplying DAP to Punjab under a conspiracy.” He said that due to the shortage of DAP fertilizer, not only wheat but all the Rabi crops like sugarcane, potato, barley, oats, vegetables and fodder of cattle must be adversely affected; because these crops are sown immediately after the paddy is harvested, for which DAP fertilizer is very much required.
Sandhwan said that it was the responsibility of the Narendra Modi-led central and the Channi government to provide DAP fertilizer for the sowing of Rabi crops, but it seems that by not providing adequate supply of DAP fertilizer in time; while the Modi government is taking revenge with Punjab and the farmers of Punjab, the incompetence of the Punjab government has also been exposed.
The AAP leader said that the Chief Minister and the Agriculture Minister should have met the Union Minister and the Prime Minister in this regard; but the Channi government is not getting time from visiting the Congress’ Delhi Darbar, instead of the farmers. Sandhwan suspected that under the conspiracy to spoil the sowing of wheat in Punjab, the shortage of DAP fertilizer was being created as Punjab was not getting the required DAP fertilizer despite the timely sowing.
Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that the Modi government was targeting the ‘annadatas’ of Punjab with a sense of revenge, so that the farmers of Punjab could be punished for raising the flag against the black farming laws of the Modi government. Similarly, criticizing the Channi government, Sandhwan said, “The Punjab government is constantly proving to be incapable of meeting the issues of the people and the needs of the farmers due to the infighting.”
He further said that the looting of the farmers has also started due to shortage of DAP fertilizer. The bag of fertilizer which was sold in the market at the rate of Rs 1,200, the farmers were now forced to buy it for Rs 1,400. Sandhwan demanded from the Union government to provide adequate supply of DAP fertilizer to Punjab at the earliest so that the Rabi crops in the state could be sown on time.
