The confiscated urea
– Photo : Amar Ujala
Expansion
The use of subsidized agricultural urea has been exposed in a plywood factory on Jarouthi Road in Hapur. On the information of the farmers, joint teams of the Agriculture Department and the District Administration have recovered 20 bags of urea from two e-rickshaws outside the factory. Samples have been sent to the laboratory for testing.
Agricultural urea is provided to farmers at a price five times less, on which the government gives subsidy. It is also neem coated, yet it is being used heavily in factories. Seeing subsidized urea going to a plywood factory located on Jarouthi Road, farmers Amarendra Singh, Arvind Singh, Aditya Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Veerpal Singh, Tinky Singh informed the Agriculture Department.
The farmers made a video of urea being put into the factory’s boiler. On receiving the information, a joint team of the Agriculture Department and the District Administration reached there. But during this time the urea was taken out of the factory. The team found 20 bags of urea outside the factory, but the farmers immediately provided a video of the inside. The e-rickshaw in which urea was seen outside, was the same one being taken inside in the video. In a hurry, a sample of urea was taken from the bags and sent to the laboratory for testing. The officials said that the urea is subsidized and is to be used in agriculture work and not in the factory.
Agricultural urea is neem coated
The actual price of a 45 kg bag of urea is Rs 1497.75. The government gives a subsidy of Rs 1231.25 to farmers on this. Urea has been neem coated so that its use in factories and milk can be prevented but adulterators find a way to dispose of it too.
1400 sacks were seized from a poultry factory
On 29th April, the team of Agriculture Department recovered about 1400 bags of urea from a poultry factory on Rampur Road. This urea was also subsidized, in this case, FIR was lodged and the urea was auctioned. Overall, despite the ban in the district, this type of urea is being used a lot in agricultural work.
Status of subsidy on urea
Total price—-Rs 1497.75
Grant——-Rs 1231.25
Availability for farmers- Rs 266.50/bag.
On the information of the farmers, a raid was conducted on the plywood factory, 20 bags of subsidized urea were found outside the factory. The farmers have also provided a video, the DM has been informed about the matter. Urea samples have been sent to the lab for testing. -Manoj Kumar, District Agriculture Officer.
