Diwali ‘shock’ for Himachal farmers and orchardists as Centre slashes subsidy on vital fertiliser by ₹1,213 per bag

Subsidy on 12-32-16 fertiliser cut from ₹1,848 to ₹635 per 45-kg bag The Newz Radar SHIMLA: Dealing a blow to farmers and orchardists of Himachal Pradesh and other parts of the country ahead of Diwali, the central government has reduced the subsidy on granular 12-32-16 fertiliser by Rs 1,213 per bag. Previously, the government provided a subsidy of Rs 1,848 on a 45-kg bag of fertiliser, but now it will be available at a reduced subsidy of Rs 635. The Centre has issued guidelines to IFFCO officials in response to this change, while also maintaining that prices for already ordered or recently purchased fertilisers in the market will not increase. In the case of the expensive 12-32-16 fertiliser, its 45 kg bag, which farmers can acquire for Rs 1,420, used to receive a combined subsidy of Rs 1,898 (Rs 1,848 from the Central Government and Rs 50 from the state government). The total cost of one bag of fertiliser was Rs 3,318. To address the financial burden on the central government, alternatives like Nano DAP and urea were introduced in the market. Now, the central government has directly reduced the subsidy on 12-32-16 fertiliser from Rs 1,848 to Rs 635, while the state government continues to provide a subsidy of Rs 50 per bag. IFFCO, having recently launched Nano Liquid Urea and DAP as alternatives to traditional granular fertilisers, has urged farmers to consider these options. Despite these alternatives, the challenge lies in maintaining the trust farmers have built on granular fertilisers. An IFFCO official said farmers should embrace more environment-friendly options like Nano Urea and DAP, avoiding further financial strain on the government in subsidies.