MARGAO
Opposition to the mandatory use of the Framework for Fertilizer Sale (FFS) mobile app for purchasing subsidised fertilisers is growing, with concerns that the move could disadvantage farmers lacking smartphones or digital literacy.
Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai said making the app compulsory at a time when farmers are already battling weather-related challenges due to the El Nino effect would add to their difficulties. He urged the Agriculture Department to deploy officials at the 50-odd subsidised fertiliser outlets to help farmers book their quota and avail subsidies.
Questioning the decision to introduce the system without adequate awareness programmes, Sardesai said the Agriculture Department should not create hurdles for farmers.
Velim MLA Cruz Silva also raised concerns, saying that while preventing misuse of subsidised fertilisers and ensuring transparency are valid objectives, the government must consider ground realities.
“Many farmers are senior citizens who neither own smartphones nor have the digital literacy required to use mobile applications. Making an app the only gateway to access subsidised fertilisers will create unnecessary hardship for genuine cultivators,” he said.
Silva said farmers are already facing unpredictable weather, rising cultivation costs and labour shortages, and technology should simplify access rather than become a barrier. He urged the government to provide an offline option and continue manual registration and booking at authorised outlets and Agriculture Department offices until the digital system becomes accessible to all.
“A farmer’s eligibility for subsidy should be determined by cultivation and not by the ability to use technology,” Silva said, calling for an inclusive rather than compulsory approach to digitisation.
