Chhattisgarh Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey on Saturday voiced concern over a steep hike in fertilizer prices and urged Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadananda Gowda to cancel it.
Choubey asked Gowda to safeguard the interests of farmers and control the prices of fertilizers by keeping a check on arbitrariness on the part of fertilizer companies.
“The farmers are still reeling under severe pandemic conditions. Amid this, the hike in prices of fertilizers will double their pain,” he said.
As per the revised rates, a standard bag of Di-Ammonium Phosphate or DAP will now cost Rs 1,900, up from Rs 1,200. This is a 58 percent hike during the Rabi season, he said.
Similarly, the prices of other complex fertilizers like NPK, Single Super Phosphate and MOP have been raised by 46 to 51.9 percent, he said.