The system is expected to bring in transparency to the sale of fertilisers as the entire process –– from the time the order is placed by the seller till the goods are delivered by the manufacturer and are sold to farmers –– can be monitored online by logging on to www.mfms.nic.in.

The Department of Agriculture will launch the ‘Mobile-based Fertiliser Monitoring System- mFMS’ next month to monitor the supply of fertiliser at every stage and to maintain an online database of its sale. The department is hopeful that the monitoring system will be able to prevent the artificial scarcity of fertiliser created by hoarding. The technology for the system, introduced by the Union Ministry of Fertilisers, has been designed by the National Informatics Centre. A task force headed by Nandan Nilekani will manage the system.

The Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF) has been chosen as the ‘main supplier of fertiliser’ in the State and the firm will be responsible for linking fertiliser manufacturers, sellers and the Agriculture department in the State. MCF Deputy General Manager G Gurunath told media that the firm had already managed to register 10,200 sellers under the system.  The sellers have been provided with an identification number through which they can place orders online for the required quantity and kind of fertiliser, and also pay online by messaging the demand draft number  to the ‘main supplier of fertiliser’. This information will be transmitted to the NIC and the manufacturers of fertilisers by the MCF.

The system is expected to bring in transparency to the sale of fertilisers as the entire process –– from the time the order is placed by the seller till the goods are delivered by the manufacturer and are sold to farmers –– can be monitored online by logging on to www.mfms.nic.in.

Deputy Director of the Fertiliser division in the Agriculture department, Rajasulochana said a videoconference will be organised every week to review the effective implementation of the system. Rajasulochana added that wholesale and retail sellers who refuse to share the information of their purchase and sale of fertilisers will be refused supply immediately.