As Uttar Pradesh has imposed a ban on forced sales of agricultural inputs like biostimulants and other products along with subsidised fertilizers, State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi has said that the curb is only on tagging and not on the sales of non-subsidised products.
Speaking to the media at Raisen (Madhya Pradesh) on April 11, he said that since tagging of other products while selling subsidised fertilizers was rampant, there was a need to stop the practice. But, he clarified that there is no restriction if those non-subsidised agricultural inputs are sold independently.
“The government needs to ensure that the retail shops selling urea, DAP, MOP and complex fertilizers either do not keep the other non-subsidised products. Or the subsidised products should be sold only through cooperative societies or government stores, if it is really serious about stopping tagging,” said Bijender Singh, a retailer in UP’s Shamli district. He said that neither retailers can say no to the company, nor can keep the stock with themselves if there are no buyers.
Network dilemma
But, a top official of a leading fertilizer company said that there is already an established sales network and they cannot afford to build a separate one only to sell the non-subsidised products. Since the consumers are same, it is also cost effective when the products are sold through the existing network. He also said that there is a ‘thin line’ to differentiate tagging and advisory which the government should not be worried much about as the objective is larger- to help improve soil quality.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has also been vocal against tagging of agriculture inputs, when farmers are buying urea or DAP, the two most essential fertilisers to raise productivity.
But many experts said that the move to ban is difficult to enforce on the ground as it may lead to further scarcity of fertilizers if retailers stop selling even the subsidised products. “The main issue is low profit margin fixed for the retailers as a policy of the Centre. This seasonal business of selling fertilizers should have reasonable profit margin for retailers as well as befitting selling prices. While farmers in most places have become used to with a higher rate to buy urea bag than the government set MRP of ₹267, the rate has not been revised since last many years,” said agriculture scientist K K Singh.
Rajasthan, which became the first State in the country to issue an order, curbing forced sales, has not been able to implement it as still farmers are complaining about tagging and they have no option but to agree to the retailers’ terms when there is issue on timely availability.
Published on April 13, 2026