BETTIAH, Aug. 21 -- Govindpur police booked a sales manager of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for alleged misappropriation of fertiliser, meant for the distribution for farmers in East Champaran district, officials said. An FIR has been lodged with Govindganj police station in Areraj subdivision on the basis of a complaint filed by Kamlesh Mishra, block agriculture coordinator (BAC), on August 19, alleging large-scale misappropriation of fertiliser at an IFFCO sales centre in Lauriya, East Champaran. Mishra, who is also a fertiliser inspector, accused sales manager Raj Kumar of being involved in the irregularities. According to the complaint, several farmers were issued slips for three bags of DAP fertiliser but received only one. "During the investigation, it was found that farmers were handed slips for three bags while only one was actually delivered to some of them," Mishra told police. Areraj Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Arun Kumar confirmed discrepancies in the inventory. "As many as 22 bags of diammonium phosphate (DAP), each weighing 50 kg, were found in excess. Preliminary inquiry suggests these were kept aside by depriving small farmers of their entitlement to be sold at exorbitant prices," he said. He added that the use of "code words" further indicated the sales manager's involvement in black marketing. DAP, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, is sold at Rs.1,350 per bag through IFFCO outlets, but sources in Areraj subdivision said it is being illegally sold for over Rs.2,000 in the black market. Last month, 16 bags of urea were seized while being smuggled to Nepal after a clash between smugglers and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel at Brahm Seema Chowki near Agarwa on the Indo-Nepal border. A large quantity of fertiliser has also reportedly been smuggled into Nepal, raising concerns over rampant black marketing and cross-border trade that threaten farmers' access to essential agricultural inputs....