License suspended by 22 fertilizer traders: The Tribune India

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune news service

Yamunanagar, January 1st

The Ministry of Agriculture and Welfare has beaten the whip to 22 fertilizer traders in the district in the past three months (October 1 to December 31, 2021).

The measures were taken after it was found that the physical inventory of the fertilizer was inconsistent with the offender’s vending machine (POS). “We suspended the license of 22 dealers in the district because their physical inventory of fertilizers did not match the records on the POS machines,” said Bal Mukand, quality controller for the agriculture department.

18 got it back after a personal hearing

• Dealers whose licenses have been suspended were heard personally to explain the discrepancy
• Of the 22 dealers, four failed to satisfy the department’s officials and their license was revoked
• “The licenses of the remaining 18 dealers have been restored,” said Bal Mukand, agricultural quality control inspector

The dealers whose licenses were suspended were heard personally to explain the discrepancy. Of the 22 dealers, four failed to satisfy the department’s officials and their license was revoked. “Out of 22 licenses, four licenses were canceled because officials were not satisfied with the facts provided by dealers during the personal hearing,” Mukand said, adding that the remaining 18 licenses have been restored. Most dealers have now started to keep records of fertilizer stocks and match them with POS devices. “The department is now monitoring all dealers,” said Mukand.

One of the main reasons for the fertilizer inventory (mainly urea) mismatch with the POS machine is believed to be the illegal delivery of subsidized urea to the county’s plywood factories.

According to sources, several traders allegedly supplied subsidized urea, which is used for agricultural purposes, to the plywood industry, where it was used to make glue.

The price of subsidized urea is 266.50 rupees per bag. However, the technical urea, which is intended for industry, costs around 2,800 rupees per bag.

Agricultural authorities and police reportedly seized 1,520 bags of subsidized urea from a building in Panjeto village in the district on December 28, 2021.

The owner of the building did not provide the competent authorities with an invoice or document related to the purchase of the delivery.