JOIN USAgriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday said he would convene a meeting of representatives of fertiliser companies on Wednesday afternoon to ensure transparency while increasing the prices of the commodity.
Replying to BJP member Arun Shahpur during the Zero Hour at the Legislative Council, the minister attributed the rise in fertiliser prices to the falling rupee and said that though the companies were allowed to fix their prices, they cannot do so without intimation and put farmers in trouble.
“We consulted the Central government on whether fertiliser firms can increase the prices on their own. Though they are allowed to do so, they should inform people about it through newspapers and so on,” he said.
On reports about shortage of chemical fertilisers, Gowda said the State had a stock of four lakh tonnes of fertilisers. “In fact, we have more stock of urea than the previous year. There should not be any apprehension about scarcity,” he said.
When Shahpur brought to his notice the sale of fake fertilisers, he said considering the seriousness of the matter, action had been taken and seven persons had been arrested at Sakaleshpur in Hassan district. Three others from Tamil Nadu have also been detained, he added.