Department of Fertilizers coordinates major crackdown on black marketing, hoarding

NEW DELHI: The Department of Fertilizers, in active coordination with Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, undertook a comprehensive drive during Kharif and ongoing Rabi season 2025-26 (April to November) to protect farmer interests and secure the national fertilizer supply chain, a release said.

The Secretary, DA&FW and Secretary, Fertilizers, held several joint meetings with the state governments. Working in close coordination with, effective enforcement action on an unprecedented scale including raids, inspections and legal measures to curb black marketing, hoarding and diversion of fertilizers has been taken by the district authorities.

These proactive and strict steps taken by the state fovernments ensured timely availability, reinforced market discipline, and upheld the integrity of fertilizer distribution across all regions of the country, it added.

A total of 3,17,054 inspections and raids were conducted across the country to monitor the distribution network. These operations led to the issuance of 5,119 show cause notices for black marketing, resulting in the cancellation or suspension of 3,645 licenses and the registration of 418 FIRs nationwide.

The campaign against hoarding produced 667 show cause notices, 202 license suspensions/cancellations, and 37 FIRs. To check diversion, authorities served 2,991 show cause notices, cancelled/suspended 451 licenses, and registered 92 FIRs. All enforcement actions were executed under the Essential Commodities Act and the Fertilizer Control Order, ensuring strict compliance and accountability.

Several States adopted a holistic approach with multidimensional interventions. Uttar Pradesh led the drive, carrying out 28,273 inspections, issuing 1,957 show cause notices for black marketing, and cancelling or suspending 2,730 licenses, along with 157 FIRs. Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat were among other states that demonstrated robust enforcement, deploying large-scale inspection teams, extensive monitoring, and prompt legal action.

Maharashtra’s campaign included 42,566 inspections and over 1,000 license cancellations for diversion-related violations; Rajasthan conducted 11,253 inspections with comprehensive action across different categories, and Bihar executed nearly 14,000 inspections and more than 500 license suspensions. These initiatives prevented artificial shortages and price manipulation during the peak agricultural season.

Enforcement teams, in coordination with State Governments, issued 3,544 show cause notices in cases of suspected sub-standard fertilizers, resulting in 1,316 license cancellations or suspensions and 60 FIRs as a part of strict adherence to the Fertilizer Control Order, 1985.

Regular sampling and rigorous testing were conducted at multiple levels to eliminate sub-standard material from the supply chain, thereby ensuring that only fertilizers meeting prescribed standards reached the end users. Through these sustained quality checks, central and state authorities continued to protect farmer interests and uphold the integrity of India’s fertilizer distribution network

State-level authorities, leveraging digital dashboards and coordinated resource deployment, ensured real-time monitoring of stock movement, swift redirection of seized or hoarded fertilizers to cooperative societies, and rapid response to complaints from farmers.

The Department of Fertilizers commends the outstanding efforts of state and district administrations, agricultural officers, and law enforcement agencies for their proactive, sustained vigilance and prompt action. Farmers, dealers, and stakeholders are urged to continue reporting irregularities and support transparent and lawful fertilizer distribution. The Department remains committed to ensuring the availability and integrity of fertilizers and calls on all citizens to remain alert and responsive, it added. (ANI)