Why in news:

• Recently, Rajasthan has been reeling under an acute shortage of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer
• The shortage has adversely affected the sowing of rabi crops, especially mustard and gram, in an estimated 50-lakh hectare area.
  
   

Key Points:

• In this regard, the State government has conveyed about the difficulties being faced by farmers and has made a request to the Centre to make available 1.10 lakh tonnes of DAP during October.
• Farmers have been facing acute shortage of the product are not getting the DAP even after waiting for long hours queuing up at the dealers’ shops and the Kraya Vikraya Sahakari Samiti offices
• The problem has been particularly severe mainly in Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Dholpur and Karauli districts, where mustard is grown.
• According to the state government, continuous efforts were being made to improve the fertilizer supply, but there was a shortage all over the country and the fact that DAP was supplied only by the Union Government is not helping the issue in any way either.
• There is a shortage of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser in the entire country.
• Due to the rise in prices in the international market, the producing companies have not imported DAP in adequate quantities.
• Due to this, the harvesting of sarson and other crops has been affected.
• Against the demand for 1.50 lakh metric tonnes in the State in October, 68,000 metric tonnes has been approved by the Centre. Of that, only 60,000 metric tonnes have been received by the state government authorities.
   

Alternate phosphatic fertilizers:

• Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers had also been requested by the state government to increase the DAP supply.
• Besides, the farmers have been asked to use the alternate phosphatic fertilizers — single super phosphate (SSP) and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) compound — to avoid the possible losses because of shortage of DAP.
• The demand for DAP has been increasing because of post-monsoon rains in several parts of the State.