Kolhapur, Chh Sambhajinagar chosen for booking of fertilisers through app after trial run in Pune village

Kolhapur: The district-wide pilot project for booking fertilizers through ‘Framework For Fertilizer Sale’ mobile application will start in Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts in Maharashtra after trial runs in a Haveli tehsil village in Pune district.

Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for placing fertilizer order at present. Though the farmer id is optional at present but eventually it will be the primary criteria for booking since it is linked to land holding, said officials.

Farmers will have to enter details of land holding, crop type and then the app will process how much fertilizer is required and the amount of fertilizer can be booked from nearby shop through the app, depending upon the availability.

“The central govt has developed this app. Our teams will visit the respective jurisdictions in the district and apprise the farmers of the application in next two to three days. This app has been developed keeping multiple objectives in mind -- to help farmers get subisdised fertilisers without any hassle. Farmers will also not be able to stock fertilisers in excess of their requirement. Also, it ensures balanced nutrition for crops,” said Namdev Parit, deputy director, state agriculture department.

After the booking is done, the farmer will get a QR code and token number. “The order booked in a particular fertiliser shop will be reserved shop for three days. The farmer can visit the shop at his convenience during this period and buy the fertiliser. We are going to deploy trainers to train farmers, inform sarpanch and local representatives about how to use the application,” said the official.

Many farmers don’t have id’s. As per the official data, 72% farmers in Kolhapur district have the IDs. “If the govt wants us to reduce use of fertilisers, it should tell us. Why this compulsion to book fertilisers using an app? Will this ensure sufficient availability of fertilisers?,” asked a farmer from Kolhapur district.

According to the govt data, both Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are not among the top five districts with maximum farmer id coverage.