Centre plans to amend fertilizer law to control import, supply

A Draft Built-in Plant Nutrition Administration Invoice, circulated in the community domain for responses, proposes to regulate costs, supply and import of fertiliser by means of a regulatory human body, a move that has lifted heckles throughout market and farmer bodies who have termed it as a reminder of the “inspector raj”.

In accordance to the draft Bill, “The Cente may well, with a watch to control equitable distribution of fertilisers and make fertilisers obtainable at fair rates, by notification in the Formal Gazette, take care of the greatest rates or charges at which any fertiliser be marketed by a vendor, company, importer or a fertiliser marketing entity. The Cente may perhaps have regard for the regional conditions of any space, the period of storage of fertilisers and other appropriate conditions, deal with distinctive selling prices or premiums for fertilisers possessing diverse intervals of storage or for distinct regions or for different lessons of people.”

Field professionals claimed the present Fertiliser Command Buy is a lot more than sufficient to deal with unexpected emergency conditions and putting these draconian provisions under a individual Act may possibly lead to bringing again the “inspector raj”, reminiscent of the pre-1991 period.

‘Liberalise fertiliser sector’

“Both inspector raj and corruption will return if we go back again to management. The authorities really should wholly liberalise the fertiliser sector, maybe in phases, by furnishing subsidy via immediate hard cash transfer to farmers as this will also assist in bringing new merchandise as for every nutrient prerequisite,” said P K Joshi, former head of Intercontinental Foodstuff Policy Study Institute (South Asia).

Providing a provision for the institution of an Integrated Plant Nourishment Administration Authority of India, the draft Invoice reported it (Authority) would “regulate the method of registration for manufacturers of fertilisers, set out complex specifications with regard to the quality of fertilisers and fertiliser goods, and promote the sustainable use and advancement of progressive fertilisers”.

Mentioning that the Authority, Union and State governments shall be liable for the enforcement of this regulation, the draft Bill also empowers the Centre to take “suo motu cognizance” of any irregularities in the steps of producers, sellers or suppliers and to initiate motion for inquiry or to direct the Point out Controller to inquire into the matter. It has also authorized States to appoint “State Controllers of Fertilisers”.

Fertiliser Inspector

But the business is sad with the provision on appointment of Fertiliser Inspector. The Invoice says: “The Point out Government, or the Cente, by notification in the Formal Gazette, appoint this sort of a quantity of people, as it thinks required and possessing such technical and other skills as may be approved by way of rules issued by the Centre to be Fertiliser Inspector for the function of this Act and any procedures and polices created thereunder.”

It more mentioned a fertiliser inspector may well physical exercise powers such as in search of “any info in their possession from any producer, importer, fertiliser advertising and marketing entity, wholesale seller or retailer” about the manufacture, storage and disposal of fertilisers. The inspector is also empowered to “enter and look for any premises the place any sort of fertiliser is made or imported or saved or exhibited for sale if the fertiliser inspector has a explanation to believe that that any fertiliser has been or is staying manufactured/imported, offered, presented for sale, stored, exhibited for sale or distributed in contravention to any of the provisions of this Act or the principles designed under it.”

The inspector can seize or confiscate any fertiliser which he has a reason to think contravenes the benchmarks of high-quality founded by this Act. “Currently district magistrates are empowered to just take steps to guarantee availability and test black marketing and advertising of fertilisers. As they are really dependable, we have not come throughout any big incident of misuse of the Fertiliser Management Order. But building submit of inspectors with such sweeping powers is simply just negative in a no cost sector financial state,” stated a CEO of a leading fertiliser corporation requesting anonymity.

Published on


February 15, 2022