Fertilizer crackdown: Govt conducts over 3 lakh inspections in Kharif-Rabi season

New Delhi: The Centre’s Department of Fertilizers has conducted over 3.17 lakh inspections across the country during the Kharif and ongoing Rabi season of 2025-26, to curb black marketing, hoarding and diversion of fertilizers during the peak agricultural season.

Authorities issued 5,119 show-cause notices for black marketing, 667 for hoarding, and 2,991 for diversion of subsidised fertilizers, an official statement said.

The enforcement drive, spanning April to November, was coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and state governments.

The campaign against hoarding led to 202 licence suspensions or cancellations and 37 FIRs, while action against diversion resulted in 451 licences being cancelled or suspended and 92 FIRs.

Uttar Pradesh emerged as the frontrunner in enforcement, carrying out 28,273 inspections and issuing 1,957 show-cause notices for black marketing. The state cancelled or suspended 2,730 licences and registered 157 FIRs.

Maharashtra conducted 42,566 inspections, resulting in over 1,000 licence cancellations for diversion-related violations. Rajasthan conducted 11,253 inspections with comprehensive action across different categories, while Bihar executed nearly 14,000 inspections and more than 500 licence suspensions.

Haryana, Punjab, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat also demonstrated robust enforcement through large-scale inspection teams, extensive monitoring and prompt legal action.

In a parallel drive against substandard fertilizers, enforcement teams issued 3,544 show-cause notices, resulting in 1,316 licence cancellations or suspensions and 60 FIRs under the Fertilizer Control Order, 1985.

Regular sampling and rigorous testing were conducted at multiple levels to eliminate substandard material from the supply chain.

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

All enforcement actions were executed under the Essential Commodities Act and the Fertilizer Control Order to ensure strict compliance and accountability.