2044 Model Fertilizers Retail Shops have been opened for the farmers, says Central Minister
In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Planning (IC) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Rao Inderjit Singh informed that 2044 Model Fertilizer Retail Shops have been made operational across the country. The minister also announced that the budget proposal for opening 2000 Model Fertilizer Retail Shops was in the Union Budget of 2016-17 have achieved its target.
Model Fertilizers Retail Shops are set up to provide quality fertilizers and for hiring of farming equipment in the country. They also provide mandatory services like selling of quality fertilizers at genuine rates, soil testing, seed testing, and promotion of balanced use of nutrients. Some optional services of these shops are the hiring of equipments like tractors, laser levelers, rotavator, crop harvester, thrashers, sprayers, and the sale of small implements like spades and sickles.
A State-wise list of Model Fertilizer Retail Shops is given below,
| 1 | ANDHRA PRADESH | 299 |
| 2 | ASSAM | 12 |
| 3 | BIHAR | 98 |
| 4 | CHHATTISGARH | 16 |
| 5 | DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI | 1 |
| 6 | GOA | 3 |
| 7 | GUJARAT | 214 |
| 8 | HARYANA | 114 |
| 9 | HIMACHAL PRADESH | 1 |
| 10 | JAMMU & KASHMIR | 1 |
| 11 | JHARKHAND | 13 |
| 12 | KARNATAKA | 97 |
| 13 | KERALA | 13 |
| 14 | MADHYA PRADESH | 84 |
| 15 | MAHARASHTRA | 164 |
| 16 | ODISHA | 13 |
| 17 | PUNJAB | 141 |
| 18 | RAJASTHAN | 45 |
| 19 | TAMIL NADU | 47 |
| 20 | TELANGANA | 212 |
| 21 | UTTAR PRADESH | 366 |
| 22 | UTTARAKHAND | 14 |
| 23 | WEST BENGAL | 76 |
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Image: bvfcl.com