Surprise inspections target fertiliser and plywood units in Nawanshahr
State-level monitoring teams carried out surprise inspections of fertiliser dealers' shops, godowns, and plywood industrial units in Nawanshahr under the supervision of Dr Gurjit Singh Brar, Director of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Punjab. The inspections aimed to ensure the timely availability of quality agricultural inputs for farmers.
Samples collected from Balachaur and Jadla
During the campaign, the teams checked and collected samples from fertiliser vendors and plywood industrial units in the Balachaur and Jadla areas of the district. The inspection team included Dr Amrik Singh, Cane Commissioner; Dr Lekh Raj Mahi, Chief Agriculture Officer; Dr Raj Kumar, Agriculture Officer, Nawanshahr; Dr Nitan, Agriculture Officer, Balachaur; and Agriculture Development Officers Dr Vijay Maheshi, Dr Gurpreet Singh, and Dr Jagmandeep Kaur.
Concerns over rising urea use and illegal diversion
Dr Amrik Singh noted that the use of urea fertiliser had been steadily increasing in Punjab. He reported that subsidised urea was allegedly being diverted for use in feed and plywood industries, which is illegal. Statewide checks are being conducted to prevent such misuse in industrial units.
Strict directives for fertiliser sellers
Dr Amrik Singh directed all fertiliser sellers to update their stock properly on Point of Sale (POS) machines and to sell fertilisers strictly according to crop requirements. He warned against any overstocking or irregular sales, stating that strict action would be taken against any dealer found supplying urea to feed mills or plywood industries. He also instructed agricultural officers to carry out regular inspections of fertiliser shops, feed units, and plywood industries to ensure compliance and curb misuse of subsidised urea.
District-level enforcement assured
Dr Lekh Raj Mahi assured that these directions would be implemented strictly in the district. He said that illegal use and unnecessary sale of fertilisers in industries would be completely curbed, with immediate action taken against violators.
