AAP smells conspiracy against farmers amid DAP fertilizer ‘shortage’ in Punjab

In a statement issued from the party headquarters in Chandigarh on Thursday, Sandhwan said, “In Punjab, Rabi crops — like wheat, potato, fodder — are sown immediately after harvesting of paddy and the DAP fertilizer is required for sowing of these crops. The Central and state governments coordinate on this need in advance. It seems that by not providing an adequate supply of DAP fertilizer in time, the Union Government is taking revenge on Punjab and its farmers. The Punjab government is also in a slumber because 5.5 lakh tonnes of DAP is required for sowing Rabi crops in our agriculture-oriented state. But at present, there is only a stock of 74,000 tonnes of fertilizer. There is a shortage of 4.80 lakh tonnes of fertilizer in the state.”

Sandhwan said that 87 per cent shortage of DAP fertilizer in Punjab will adversely affect the sowing of Rabi crops, and lead to black-marketing. The farmers will in turn be financially robbed. He added that it was the responsibility of the Narendra Modi-led Central government to provide fertilizer supply to Punjab, which they have failed to fulfill. Sandhwan said that he suspected that there was a conspiracy to spoil the sowing of wheat in Punjab, and hence a shortage of DAP fertilizer was being created. Punjab had received only 13 per cent DAP fertilizer despite the fact that the wheat-growing Rabi season was right around the corner, he claimed.

The AAP leader further said that the Modi government was targeting the ‘annadatas’ of Punjab for revenge so that the farmers of Punjab could be punished for raising their voice against the black farm laws of the Union government. Criticizing the Channi government, Sandhwan said that the Punjab government was constantly proving to be ineffective in meeting the issues of the people as well as those of the farmers due to infighting. Neither has the state government been able to provide DAP fertilizer in advance nor has it been able to alleviate power cuts in Punjab, Sandhwan said.

Sandhwan said due to the shortage of coal in Punjab, the power supply was being cut off due to which paddy crops were not getting the required water. As a result, while the yield of paddy will decrease, the sowing of Rabi crops will also lag behind.