Shillong, Aug 27: The Meghalaya government has intensified monitoring of fertiliser sales across the state amid concerns over alleged black marketing, hoarding and exploitation of farmers, with Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Timothy D Shira informing the Assembly that strict measures are in place to ensure fertilisers are sold at government-notified rates.
Responding to questions raised by Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit, Shira said weekly inspections are being conducted by inspectors, while all retail outlets have been directed to display prices and daily stock. Sales are also being routed through Point of Sale (PoS) machines linked to the Integrated Fertiliser Management System (iFMS), allowing transactions to be monitored.
Meghalaya has 129 fertiliser inspectors who are tasked with monitoring retailers and detecting violations. He added that fertiliser transactions uploaded to the iFMS portal can be traced, including instances where fertiliser is allegedly sold in the black market.
The issue came into sharper focus after Basaiawmoit told the house that farmers had reported purchasing single super phosphate (SSP) fertiliser at around Rs 900 per bag, despite government-controlled pricing.
Here Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the prescribed SSP rate was around Rs 800 per bag, indicating that reports of Rs 900 a bag suggest a possible black-marketeering.
“Continuous checking and monitoring” are being carried out, Sangma said, adding that action would be taken wherever black marketing is detected.
Sangma informed the Assembly that approximately 1,432 surprise checks had been carried out and warned that licences of dealers found violating the rules could be cancelled.
The CM used the discussion to reiterate the government’s broader policy of reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers and moving Meghalaya towards organic agriculture.
He said the government was not seeking to encourage fertiliser use but recognised that an abrupt reduction could affect agricultural production and farmers’ incomes. Bio-fertilisers have therefore been introduced as part of a transition towards organic farming.
The discussion also shifted from fertiliser prices to the broader problem of farmers being exploited by middlemen.
Shira said the government had established processing facilities to help farmers secure better prices for their produce. He cited spice and turmeric processing units in Jaintia Hills and a major spice processing unit in Ri-Bhoi.
According to the minister, the establishment of processing facilities had helped raise the price of raw turmeric in areas where farmers previously received as little as Rs 12 per kg, with prices subsequently increasing to Rs 40-50 per kg in some instances. He also said the government was considering cold-storage facilities for perishable vegetables.
Basaiawmoit cited recent reports of farmers bringing cabbage to Shillong and distributing it free after being offered prices as low as Rs 2 per kg.
Shira said he had convened a meeting with Agriculture Department officials after becoming aware of the situation and that prices subsequently returned to normal.
Sangma, however, said vegetable prices were influenced by several market factors, including supply and demand. He said a study of the previous 10 years had shown a recurring decline in cabbage prices during July, followed by a rise in August and September.
