Supply from China cut, Karnataka farmers face DAP shortage: Report
Bengaluru: A drop in Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) imports from China has triggered a fertiliser shortage in Karnataka, leaving farmers struggling at the height of the kharif season.
The disruption has significantly impacted supplies, forcing authorities to suggest alternatives. The state agriculture department and experts are urging farmers to use Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium instead of DAP, as reported by The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
Karnataka requires 4 lakh tonnes of DAP for the ongoing kharif season and an additional 2 lakh tonnes for the upcoming rabi season. While the Centre had allocated 4 lakh tonnes for the current season based on average usage over the past three years, only 1.89 lakh tonnes have been supplied so far.
Agriculture department sources quoted in the news report said they had a stock of around 76,000 tonnes from last year. “We have been able to distribute 1.9 lakh tonnes so far, including from the last year’s stock. For rabi, allocation will be in July-end. We don’t know how much we will get,” they added.
India relies heavily on imports for its DAP supply—about 48% of the annual requirement—most of which comes from China. However, China has reportedly curtailed DAP exports due to a combination of political reasons and increased domestic demand for certain ingredients used in other products. Complicating the situation, India also imports phosphoric compounds from countries like Russia, but rising freight costs—exacerbated by shipping disruptions near Karachi after Indo-Pak tensions—have further strained availability.
DAP plays a critical role in farming, delivering essential phosphorus for root development, flowering, and fruiting, while nitrogen component supports vegetative growth.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
