In the last few months, the government has seized around 35,000 bags of urea diverted for non-agriculture purposes, more than seven years after the Centre made it mandatory for all domestic urea producers to make 100 percent neem-coated urea.
Ministry of Fertilizers' 'Flying Squad' has filed eight first information reports against the offenders, and six people have been sentenced to prison.
Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have all been raided for fertilizers.
"Despite being neem-coated, the bags were seized, and an investigation into how they escaped scrutiny is underway," a senior government official said.
The urea that was supposed to be used in agriculture ended up in dyes, plywood, cattle feed, and the textile industry.
"A bag of urea sells for Rs 266 per 45 kilogrammes, while the government of India pays around Rs 3,000 for the same. Many private entities illegally divert highly subsidized urea for non-agriculture and industrial purposes," said the senior official.
One of the stated objectives of the neem-coated urea project, according to the government, was to prevent urea meant for agriculture from being diverted. Because urea is heavily subsidized, there is always a temptation to divert it to non-agricultural uses.
Uses of Urea:
Urea is used in a variety of ways to provide nutrition to plants. It is typically mixed with soil or applied to the soil's surface. Because of its high solubility, it can be dissolved in water and applied as a fluid to the soil, mixed with irrigation water, or sprayed on plant foliage.
Nitrogen, an essential nutrient for crop growth and development, is found in urea. Because of its high nitrogen content, urea is the most important nitrogenous fertiliser in the country (46 percent N). It also has industrial applications such as plastic production and as a cattle nutritional supplement.
