CCEA hikes prices of urea based fertilizers by Rs 50 per tonne

11 Oct 2012 Evaluate

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday agreed to hike the prices of urea-based fertilizers by Rs 50 per tonne, thereby reducing government’s fertilizer subsidy bill, estimated to touch Rs 65,000 crore this fiscal year. With this hike, urea-based fertilizers will now cost Rs 5,360 per tonne, way cheaper than potash and phosphate fertilizers, which cost Rs 24,000 per tonne. Earlier, urea was priced at 5,310 rupees per tonne.

Further, the Cabinet has also approved modified direct cash subsidy for urea, a move that would ensure transfer of direct cash subsidy to the farmer for procuring urea. Thus with this, the payment of fertilizer subsidy to companies will be based on the receipt of fertilizers and the acknowledgement of receipts of fertilisers by the retailers (last point of sale of fertilizers).

However, the government plans to go about the process in a phased manner. In the first phase, the government will track sales of urea up to the dealer level. This exercise will be made compulsory from November 1, 2012.

Further, the Cabinet has directed the ministry to commence a pilot project in the second phase in 10 districts of the country and begin tracking the sale of urea right down to the farmer. This will be tracked through ICT enabled tools, and identification of the farmers will be done through the Kisan Credit Card, Aadhaar No, Bank Account No. etc. After making sure that there is no provision of any direct cash subsidy at this stage, transfer of direct cash subsidy will become a reality only in the third and the final stage of the roll-out.  However, the cabinet has yet not given time-frame for the completion of this pilot project.

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