On one side, farmers are standing firm on their demands on the Punjab-Haryana border. Meanwhile, the government has made a big announcement for the farmers just before the elections. The government will give huge subsidy on fertilizers to the farmers on the occasion of Kharif sowing. A budget of Rs 24,420 crore was also approved for this in the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
In the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a decision was taken regarding a total subsidy of Rs 24,420 crore on Phosphatic and Potash (P&K) fertilizers for Kharif crop. At the same time, the government says that DAP, the main fertilizer used by farmers, will continue to be available at the price of Rs 1,350 per quintal.
Fertilizer prices will remain stable
The government has made it clear that the retail prices of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) and P&K fertilizer will remain stable. Subsidy will be available on P&K fertilizers from 1st April to 30th September. For this, the proposal of Fertilizer Department to fix the rates of ‘Nutrient-Based Subsidy’ (NBS) was approved.
These fertilizers will be available at these prices
Union Minister Anurag Thakur gave information about this decision of the government. In a press conference, he said that for the upcoming Kharif crop, subsidy on Nitrogen (N) is Rs 47.02 per kg, Phosphate (P) is Rs 28.72 per kg, Potash (K) is Rs 2.38 per kg and Sulfur (S) is Rs 1.89 per kg. per kilogram has been fixed.
Subsidy on phosphatic fertilizers has been increased from Rs 20.82 per kg for Rabi crop in 2023 to Rs 28.72 per kg for Kharif season 2024. However, there has been no change in the subsidy on Nitrogen (N), Potash (K) and Sulfur (S) for Kharif crop 2024.
Not only this, apart from this subsidy, the price of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) being sold at Rs 1,350 per bag (50 kg) will remain stable in the upcoming Kharif crop also. Muriate of Potash (MOP) will also be available at the rate of Rs 1,670 per bag and NPK at the rate of Rs 1,470 per bag.
The Cabinet also approved inclusion of three new fertilizer grades under the NBS scheme to reduce import dependence on DAP. Fertilizer companies will be given subsidy as per the fixed rates so that it can be made available to the farmers at affordable prices.
