Fertiliser Shortage In Madhya Pradesh Despite Abundant Stock. Here's Why

But with no end to the shortage in sight and fearing delay in Rabi sowing season, anxious farmers are buying bags of fertiliser at over-inflated prices.

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh are forced to wait in long queues to buy fertiliser after a full stock became unfit for sale due to negligence of district officials. Weeks after the model code of conduct was imposed, officials failed to erase or cover up pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on fertiliser packets and now they can't be legally distributed.

The model code of conduct, which was implemented in the state on October 9, dictates that state-distributed merchandise can not have photographs or symbols of any political party or leader. Upon receiving a complaint, the Election Commission ordered the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to remove PM's photo from the sacks.

But with no end to the shortage in sight and fearing delay in Rabi sowing season, anxious farmers are buying bags of fertiliser at over-inflated prices. Hari Singh Saini, a farmer from Entkhedi village near Bhopal, has managed to purchase only 15 bags of DAP, a phosphate-based fertiliser, for his 12-acre land. "Our expenses have gone up by 20%. It has become very difficult. We will end up with a lower yield, earning close to nothing from this crop," he said.