Hooda slams govt over fertiliser, MSP woes

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today slammed the BJP government for failing to provide farmers with timely fertilisers, seeds and minimum support price (MSP).

“Ever since the BJP came to power, farmers have been forced to desperately wait for MSP, fertilisers, and seeds," Hooda said.

He said, “Today, the situation is such that fertilisers have to be distributed to farmers under police protection.”

Hooda said neither maize nor sunflower farmers are getting MSP, and the shortage of fertilisers has led to black marketing and production loss.

“Sowing of kharif crops is becoming more difficult for farmers with each passing year,” he said.

He accused the “double-engine government” of failing to supply even half the required fertiliser stock for the kharif season. “Haryana was supposed to receive about 14 lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser, but less than 6 lakh metric tonnes have been made available.”

Expressing concern during the ongoing paddy transplantation season, Hooda said, “Farmers are still running from pillar to post for fertilisers. The government, as usual, sits idle.”

He said this was the first time in Haryana’s history that fertilisers were being distributed from police stations.

“Every season, farmers, their families, women and even children wait for days in long queues, and yet DAP and urea are not available at the right time,” he said.

Haryana Tribune