Bhubaneswar, Aug 31: In a stringent move to curb malpractices in the distribution and sale of fertilizers, the Government of Odisha has suspended or cancelled the licenses of 62 fertilizer dealers across the state for alleged violations of the Fertilizer Control Order, 1985.
The crackdown follows a series of inspections conducted by enforcement teams constituted to ensure fair distribution, prevent black marketing, and safeguard farmers’ interests during the ongoing Kharif season.
The action comes in the wake of reports of hoarding, black marketing, and sale of substandard or fake fertilizers in several regions. Enforcement teams, comprising officials from the Agriculture, Revenue, and Police Departments, conducted surprise inspections at over 4,546 retail outlets, issuing show-cause notices to 1,202 dealers. In 30 cases, stop-sale orders were enforced, and fertilizer stock was seized at six dealer locations.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, the disciplinary actions were taken to ensure that the farmers receive timely and quality fertilizers at the right price. The department emphasized that there is no real shortage of fertilizers in the state, and any rumors suggesting otherwise are misleading and baseless.
Fertilizer supply situation
As per official figures, Odisha had a Kharif crop plan covering 58.50 lakh hectares for 2025, with 34.94 lakh hectares under paddy and 23.56 lakh hectares under non-paddy crops. Against this plan, a requirement of 10.00 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of fertilizers was submitted to the Central Government, which allocated 9.55 lakh MT.
The state government, under the guidance of Hon'ble Chief Minister and Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture Minister Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, has ensured that 8.10 lakh MT of fertilizers have already been received by the end of August. When combined with the opening stock of 2.94 lakh MT, the total fertilizer availability has reached 11.04 lakh MT.
Of this, 8.46 lakh MT has already been sold to farmers, and 2.56 lakh MT remains available across districts. Additionally, 11,692 MT of urea is currently in transit and expected to reach various PACS and LAMPCS within two days.