Fertilisers costlier than price fixed by agri department

Vellore

The agriculture department had earlier fixed the price of a 50 kilo bag of fertilizer at Rs.875 due to the lockdown. According to Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam state general secretary S Udayakumar, “Though the Vellore agriculture JD’s office announced a reduction of Rs 75 from the original price of Rs 950 to be effective from May 18, fertiliser shops in the region have not bothered to follow this order. When farmers approached, the shops quoted the old rate claiming that the revised price announced by the agriculture department is only for new stocks and that they are still saddled with old stock. But the department order did not clarify whether the price was for the old or new stock.”

Reiterating this, the Sangam’s youth wing general secretary R Subash said, “I sent my workers to Nemili where all shops claimed they don’t have stock of fertilizers.” This is the traders’ response to farmers who demand fertilizer at the government-announced revised price. He also complained that traders rarely provided computerised bills or used the PSO (point of sale) machine.