No action possible on ‘Super’ feriliser issue, says minister Khudian

Even though a controversy has erupted over the sale of a product labelled “Super” at nearly four times the price, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian claims he is unable to act due to technical limitations in the rules.

According to farmers, they were led to believe that the product was a high-grade fertiliser, Single Super Phosphate (SSP), based on its name and packaging. However, it is merely calcium sulphate, chemically identical to ordinary gypsum, which is typically used as a soil conditioner, say farmers and officials of the Agriculture department.

While regular gypsum is priced around Rs 205 per 50-kg bag, the so-called “Super” product was being sold for as much as Rs 759 per bag.

Talking to The Tribune, Khudian said today that his department was unable to take action regarding the “inflated pricing”, as the product was being distributed through cooperative societies, which are considered end consumers and fall outside the purview of regulatory action by the Agriculture Department.

“As per the rules, we can intervene only if the product is being sold by private dealers. In such cases, samples can be collected and sent for laboratory testing to verify the quality and composition. Thereafter, we can stop the sale of the product by such dealers,” Khudian said.

However, acknowledging the matter, Khudian admitted that the “exorbitant” price was worrying.

Notably, farmers, including senior farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, have raised the alarm over what they call a major scam in the name of “Super”.

They allege that nearly 10 companies are not just selling, but also packing gypsum in the state by labelling it “Super”, thereby misleading and financially exploiting farmers. They say the product being marketed as “Super” is almost the same as, or only marginally better than, regular gypsum, with minimal calcium content.

Punjab