By IANS,
New Delhi : The government said Friday that state governments and paramilitary forces have been asked to check smuggling of fertilisers to neighbouring countries.
Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena told the Rajya Sabha that there were reports of smuggling of fertilisers, which are subsidized in India, to other countries.
“However, these have not been confirmed by the state governments.
“The state governments and paramilitary forces have been asked by the home ministry and the fertiliser ministry to keep a vigil and check smuggling of fertilisers, if any, from India to neighbouring countries through land and sea routes,” said Jena.
Media reports say that Indian fertilisers like DAP are in great demand in countries like Nepal and Bangladesh becuse of their low cost.
Jena said fertiliser subsidy in 2008-09 was more than the last fiscal because of higher prices of raw material and finished fertilisers in the international market.
“The subsidy outgo in 2008-09 was more because of higher prices of finished fertilisers, raw material in the international market. We spent Rs.64,032.3 crore on fertiliser subsidy during 2009-10,” he said.
“In the case of urea, the sales during 2009-10 have been lower than (in) 2008-09,” the minister added.