Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 25_Luc_PS_Fertlizer_ cooperatives Byline: Pankaj ShahUP government plans doorstep fertilizer delivery through mobile appPankaj.Shah1Lucknow: Long queues of farmers waiting outside fertiliser shops in Uttar Pradesh may soon be a thing of the past. In an ambitious move, the state govt is toying with the idea of delivering fertilisers to farmers’ doorsteps through an e-commerce-powered mobile application.Highly placed sources said that the Department of Cooperatives already initiated the exercise by getting the application developed for advance booking of fertiliser and their delivery at farmers’ residences.Commissioner, Cooperatives, Yogesh Kumar said that the idea is to do away with physical queues to make way for electronic queues. This, he said, eased the pressure of farmers lining up at fertiliser shops/centres for long hours.“They may track the status of their order online and get it from the nearest centre or wait for home delivery,” he said, while speaking to TOI on Wednesday.Farmers will have the facility of paying online as well as cash on delivery. Officials said that the department plans to promote online payment to avoid the hassles of cash management. Promoting online payments also reduces leakages and informal commissions, besides accounting irregularities.Kumar said that, on average, around 70 to 80 farmers would be provided fertiliser under the process through each Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS), the grassroots-level, village-based cooperative credit institutions which provide immediate agricultural and non-agricultural credit, fertilisers, seeds, and marketing facilities to rural borrowers.In UP, as many as 6914 PACS are registered with the Department of Cooperatives, which channels 40% of the total fertiliser requirement in the state. The remaining 60% demand is met by the Agriculture Department with the help of societies, UP Agro Centres, and the private sector.The move comes at a time when fertiliser distribution is witnessing long queues, seasonal shortages, and allegations of diversion or black marketing.The digitisation of PACS operations, sources said, marks the UP govt’s fresh attempt to modernise cooperative institutions, increase their accountability, and create traceable fertiliser supply chains. As a matter of fact, the PACS are crucial since they act as grassroots-level rural institutions with existing farmer databases. They have an established trust network in villages and a direct linkage to cooperative supply chains.Officials said that replacing physical queues with electronic queues could save farmers’ time during peak sowing seasons, reduce crowd management challenges, and minimise law and order risks during potential fertiliser shortages.Digital tracking could, at the same time, prevent hoarding, monitor real-time stock levels, and ensure equitable distribution.Experts said that the shift in cropping patterns led to sudden spikes in demand, causing panic-buying and long queues at cooperative societies.The various agricultural seasons witnessed a spate of fertiliser crises despite the huge inventories of the Agriculture Department and the Department of Cooperatives. Complaints of fertilisers being hoarded and sold at inflated prices, or smuggled into Nepal to be sold at higher rates, also emerged repeatedly.Sources said that the state govt, nevertheless, will have to deal with private dealers, which are often accused of “tagging”, or forcing farmers to buy unnecessary products like nano urea, zinc, or pesticides alongside subsidised fertiliser bags. MSID:: 128780053 413 |
