AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang demands nationwide framework against "forced" bundling of boosters, fertilisers

New Delhi [India], October 16 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP and member of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers, Malvinder Singh Kang, called for a nationwide mechanism against farmers being allegedly forced to purchase boosters along with fertilisers.
Writing to the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Kirti Azad, Kang alleged that the bundling of boosters with subsidised fertilisers adds to the financial burden on farmers and subverts the intent of agricultural subsidies.
He said that AAP MLA from Roopnagar, Dinesh Chadha, informed him regarding the "malpractice", after which, Punjab Police registered an FIR and arrested key perpetrators.
He wrote, "The issue came to my forefront when the local MLA from Roopnagar district approached me with detailed accounts of this malpractice, highlighting the distress it inflicts on our farmers. Acting swiftly, I engaged directly with the concerned authorities to verify and address these grievances, uncovering a pattern of exploitation that must be uprooted."
"In Roopnagar - a vital agricultural hub within my constituency -distributors are ruthlessly compelling farmers to bundle unnecessary 'boosters' with subsidised Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) bags priced at Rs 1,350," Kang added.
He named Calcium Nitrate, Polyhalite, Bio-Potash, Muriate of Potash, and City Compos as some of the boosters being bundled along with the fertilisers, which he said are not mandated by the government for use.
"These coerced extras, such as Calcium Nitrate (Rs 1100), Polyhalite (Rs 900), Bio Potash (Rs 600), Muriate of Potash (MOP) (Rs 1600), or City Compost (Rs 300), are neither mandated nor universally essential, yet they are foisted upon farmers under duress. Likewise, with Urea bags at Rs 256, growers are strong-armed into purchasing Sulphur (Rs 270) or Nano Urea (Rs 250). This insidious forced bundling not only balloons the financial burden on our already strained agriculturalists but also everts the noble intent of government subsidies, transforming a lifeline into a tool of profiteering and injustice," he wrote.
The AAP MP added, "The Punjab Police's proactive response registering an FIR and arresting key perpetrators, including a prominent distributor in Roopnagar, is a welcome step at the local level, yet it exposes a festering national malaise that extends far beyond Punjab's fertile fields."
He demanded a national framework that prohibits such forced bundling and imposes strict penalties for offenders.
"I strongly advocate that the Committee recommend to the Government of India, via the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, the establishment of an ironclad nationwide framework to dismantle this exploitative regime. This should include unequivocal prohibitions on forced bundling, rigorous digital surveillance of transactions, compulsory provision of unbundled subsidised fertilisers, and draconian penalties for offenders ranging from license suspensions to outright blacklisting," Kang wrote.
"Bolstering this with nationwide audits of distribution chains and dedicated farmer-centric grievance redressal platforms will instil unwavering transparency and accountability," the letter read.