PRAYAGRAJ, May 3 -- The agriculture department has started early preparations to ensure adequate fertiliser availability for the upcoming kharif cropping season, even while the current zaid season (the short intermediate agricultural season between rabi and kharif, running from March to June) is underway. Although the kharif season typically begins in June, officials initiated advance planning. Pawan Kumar Vishwakarma, deputy director of agriculture in Prayagraj, said a district-level action plan is being prepared to maintain sufficient fertiliser supplies, which includes assessing likely demand and aligning supply arrangements. As part of this process, monitoring committees have been constituted to inspect fertiliser dealers' stocks. These teams are verifying existing inventories to gauge availability and prevent shortages during the peak season. To streamline distribution, possessing a Farmer ID has been made mandatory. Officials reported that around 600,000 farmers are registered on the district portal, with approximately 550,000 already issued IDs. A campaign is underway to cover the remaining farmers. Fertiliser allocation will be linked to landholding; a farmer owning one hectare is eligible for seven bags of urea and five bags of DAP. During the previous kharif season, the division met its targets of 212,652 metric tonnes of urea and 44,105 metric tonnes of DAP (Diammonium Phosphate, a widely used high-nutrient chemical fertiliser). Demand projections for the upcoming season are currently being assessed. Authorities are also working to strengthen supply and monitoring mechanisms. Measures include increasing distribution centers and intensifying oversight to check black marketing and hoarding....