The government has implemented a new digital platform for fertiliser distribution on a pilot basis across 56 districts in 23 states. According to reports from Business Standard, the platform, called 'Framework for Fertilizer Sale', has been jointly developed by the Ministries of Fertilisers and Agriculture with the consent of state governments. Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel informed Parliament that the initiative is being implemented in a staggered pilot manner with the objective of making the fertiliser distribution system more transparent, organised, farmer-centric, land- and crop-data integrated, and demand-driven.
Under the proposed arrangement, farmers or their authorised representatives will register through a mobile application and enter land- and crop-related details for advance booking of fertiliser requirements. As reported by Business Standard, upon successful booking of fertilisers, a QR code-based token shall be generated. This QR code will be scanned by fertiliser retailers through point-of-sale (PoS) machines, and fertiliser will be distributed following Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, as per the existing procedure.
The government has also developed the Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS) as an online platform for real-time monitoring and management of fertiliser movement across the country. According to the minister's statement to the Rajya Sabha, under this system, real-time monitoring of fertiliser dispatches, allocation, rake placement, stock position and state-wise supply status is carried out by the respective states and stakeholders. This complements the digital distribution platform to provide comprehensive oversight of the fertiliser supply chain.
