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The Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers has reviewed the availability of fertilizers in Bihar and observed that there is sufficient availability of urea, DAP and MOP during the month of October and November’04. While it is incumbent on the State Governments to ensure that fertilizers’ demand from various Districts/Blocks/Villages is promptly met from overall State level availability of fertilizers it is understood that the availability of urea, DAP and MOP at the State level is comfortable. For example for the month of October’04, the sale and balance stock of urea, DAP and MOP in the State was about 44,000 MT and 78,000 MT, 8,000 MT and 11,000 MT and 5,000 MT and 7,000 MT respectively. For November 2004, all the three fertilizers are being provided well above the requirement projected by the State Government. Local shortages, if any, can be met with little more efforts of the State Governments. The Central Government in periodic reviews has been advising the State Government to ensure that critical inputs like fertilizers are made available to the farmers without any problems for the coming Rabi Season and efforts be made by the State Government to gear up its machinery and take strict action in case of reports of hoarding, black marketing, over charging above MRP and poor quality of fertilizers. The position of availability has been clearly brought out by the figures for October and November 2004 released by the Department of Fertilizers today.
The Government has also highlighted the point that while the responsibility of Central Government is to ensure availability of urea for the State through ECA allocation and movement orders, it is the responsibility of the State Government to ensure availability of good quality of fertilizers through out the State at MRP rates and also prevent hoarding, black marketing, certify sales for the purpose of subsidy to be given to the Companies and issuance of licenses for dealership and their regulation through Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).
The Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers , in a special dispensation relaxed the requirements of furnishing Sales Certifications by State Government since June 2004, so that fertilizer companies do not hesitate to supply DAP, MOP and Complex Fertilizers to the State for non release of subsidy by the Central Government. It is learnt that the State Government has not been issuing Sales Certifications since 1998-99 ever since the matter of Sales Certification for bogus supplies by State Agricultural Department was highlighted by CAG.
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