Surjewala slams BJP for ongoing shortage of DAP fertiliser in Haryana

Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Thursday criticised the BJP for the ongoing shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser in Haryana. Citing statistics, he alleged that the BJP was taking revenge on farmers for their protests against the now-revoked farm laws.

In a press conference, he stated that the entire country, including Haryana and Punjab, was facing severe and inhumane distress due to the DAP shortage. “The severity of the agrarian crisis has forced farmers to observe the auspicious festival of Diwali as a ‘Black Diwali’, waiting in lines to get DAP,” he added.

Surjewala highlighted the recent incidents in Haryana, noting that on October 26, farmers standing in line to buy their quota of DAP were brutally lathicharged in Uchana, Jind, while others staged a dharna in Narwana. Protests over the lack of DAP also occurred in Guhla-Cheeka and Kaithal. On October 27, he remarked that the law-and-order situation had improved, requiring DAP to be distributed at police stations in Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Narnaul. On November 4, blockades and dharnas took place in Sirsa, and on November 5, the DAP crisis reached its peak in Badhra, where an SDM had to stand for hours atop a wall to pacify the farmers and distribute the limited DAP supply.

Referring to figures from the Union Budget, Surjewala said the fertiliser subsidy, which was Rs 2.51 lakh crore in 2022-23, was reduced to Rs 1.89 lakh crore in 2023-24, and further to Rs 1.64 lakh crore in 2024-25. “This implies that over two years, the subsidy has been slashed by Rs 87,238 crore,” he said. He continued, “At the beginning of the rabi season in 2024, DAP stock was already 14 lakh tonnes short. The Government of India was fully aware of this, yet nothing was done in August-September to import more DAP and replenish the stock. The anti-farmer agenda is evident.”

Quoting figures from the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), he said in April-September 2023, 34.53 lakh tonnes of DAP were imported, but in the same period in 2024, only 19.67 lakh tons were imported. “This means 14.86 lakh tonnes less DAP was imported,” he said. He further said in April-September 2023, 62.83 lakh tonnes of DAP were sold, while during the same period in 2024, only 45.72 lakh tonnes were sold.

“Against the requirement of 4.35 lakh tonnes of DAP in Haryana by November, only 1.85 lakh tonnes had been supplied by October. How will the supply of 2.50 lakh tonnes of DAP be met in November, especially when the Haryana Government itself admits that more than 1 lakh tonnes of DAP is unavailable?” Surjewala asked.