Patna: Agriculture minister Prem Kumar on Monday launched the point of sale (POS) machine-based sale of fertilisers. He launched the system from a fertiliser shop in Danapur block.

Fertiliser retailers as well as the farmers will have to provide Aadhaar details under the new system. Farmers not having Aadhaar numbers will have to provide Aadhaar registration details along with either a copy of the farmers' credit card or voters' ID. In Bihar, 82 per cent of the population had Aadhaar as on December 15, 2017.

The POS machines remain linked with a data centre, allowing real-time updates about the volume of fertiliser sold in the state. Also, these machines, which remain connected to the Internet through SIM cards, take the biometric input of the purchaser, ruling out the possibility of generating fake bills.

The state has 22,362 fertiliser retailers of which 18,500 have procured the POS machines, which have been provided free of cost. The dealers have also been trained in operating the machines.

"The retailers who would not integrate themselves in the new system would end up losing their licences," the agriculture minister said.

Under the new system, fertiliser wholesalers would be allowed to do business only with licensed retailers and the system will allow online monitoring of availability of fertilisers in different districts.

Minister Prem Kumar said the fertiliser supply chain would enter an era of complete transparency as farmers would get digitised receipts for every purchase. The new system will also help generate data about the tillers, which the agriculture department can use to formulate plans.

Agriculture department principal secretary Sudhir Kumar said the POS-based sale of fertiliser would curb black marketing and diversion of fertilisers for non-agricultural work.

At the launch event, Danapur MLA Asha Devi urged the minister to open more fertiliser retail shops in rural areas.