Punjab has sought an immediate allocation of 3 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) from the Centre, amid a shortage of the fertiliser needed for potato and wheat sowing.The state requires 5.50 LMT of DAP for the rabi season. Of this, 70,000 metric tonnes is needed for the potato crop, for which sowing has already begun, while 4.80 LMT is required for wheat sowing, which will begin at the end of October and be completed by mid-November.Against this requirement, Punjab currently has only 1.60 LMT of DAP in stock, leaving a shortfall of 3.90 LMT, a senior government official told The Tribune.The shortage was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian. It was decided that the matter would be taken up with the Centre immediately.In a letter to Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda, Khudian requested that Punjab’s DAP allocation for October be increased to 3 LMT and that the maximum possible quantity be supplied to the state by October 15.Khudian said Punjab received 1.49 LMT of DAP in July and August against the requirement for advance positioning of stocks. In September, only 0.46 LMT had been received till September 16, against an allocation of 1.02 LMT.He said the shortfall had increased pressure on DAP availability for the rabi season. Timely positioning was critical, he added, as a substantial quantity of DAP available in the country was imported, and Punjab was located a considerable distance from major ports.Khudian sought the Centre’s “urgent and priority consideration” in the matter.