Kotpad,4th Sept 2025: It began with colored sand being passed off as fertilizer and sold to unsuspecting farmers. Now, the scheme has become more sophisticated — cheap black-colored soil mixed with globules is being sold under the label of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) to poor farmers in the Koraput and Kotpad NAC areas. Despite applying what they believed to be proper fertilizers, farmers are seeing no results in their crops, leaving them confused and distressed.
Farmers who took loans to buy fertilizers are now in a state of despair as their crops fail to grow. This has raised a serious question: Why are fertilizers that seem genuine (with proper packaging and billing) not producing any agricultural impact?
One explanation being discussed is that the fertilizers themselves are counterfeit, not due to mixing errors by the farmers, but because of deliberate adulteration by unscrupulous traders. In one recent case, a farmer from the Ghumar area of Kotpad block noticed unusual coloring on his hands while handling fertilizer. Suspicious, he rinsed the fertilizer with water, only to discover that the color washed off and what remained was nothing but sand.
Other farmers began to test their fertilizer similarly — soaking it in water and discovering that many of them had also unknowingly bought fake fertilizer. Realizing they had been scammed, they were left in shock and frustration.
Bhavani Padhi, a farmer, expressed his outrage. The issue has now become a political one, giving opposition parties another point of attack against the government. Opposition leader Rabi Narayan Nanda staged a protest in front of the office of the Chief District Agriculture Officer, demanding action.
The fact that such fake fertilizer is being sold — black soil with added coloring marketed as DAP — has shocked the public. This raises serious concerns: How can a licensed fertilizer dealer be manufacturing and selling counterfeit products? The discovery of empty branded bags, artificial colorings, and even a sewing machine used for sealing bags suggests a well-planned operation.
Strangely, this illegal activity is being carried out just meters away from the Dolanata Block Agriculture Office, yet the Agriculture Department seems unaware. This emboldens the question: How is a fraudulent trader able to carry out such an operation so openly?
All this brings into question the role of the Fertilizer Inspector. When the government has announced strict action — including jail time — against those dealing in fake fertilizers, how is it that such blatant fraud continues? Is the inspector merely negligent, or is he complicit due to personal gain?
Given the scale of the fraud and its devastating impact on poor farmers, shouldn’t the government and administration take strict action — possibly even terminating the Fertilizer Inspector from service — to ensure accountability and restore public trust?