Punjab director agriculture GS Brar on Sunday said the state has adequate stocks of fertilisers to meet the demand for the ongoing kharif season, urging farmers not to resort to panic buying.The clarification comes after farmers staged protests across the state over an alleged shortage of fertiliser.Brar said that against the total requirement of 15 lakh tonnes of urea between April and September, 10.86 lakh tonnes is already available with the state.“Last year, urea sales between April and June stood at 6.61 lakh tonnes, while the available stock was 4.48 lakh tonnes. This season, the total availability of urea has reached 10.86 lakh tonnes, of which 6.56 lakh tonnes have been sold, leaving a balance of 4.3 lakh tonnes by mid-June,” he said.The union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers also said on Sunday that there was no shortage of urea in the state and that the Centre has maintained a surplus supply chain for the state.“An additional 39,167 tonnes of urea is currently in transit to the state. Verification from state government records indicates that paddy transplantation is yet to fully commence in the state, making the current stocks sufficient to meet the requirements,” the ministry’s spokesperson added.The clarification comes after farmers staged protests across the state over an alleged shortage of fertiliser.The anxiety among farmers was fuelled by fears that the ongoing US-Iran war could disrupt global fertiliser supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint that carries around 20% of the world sea traffic.Meanwhile, the state agriculture department has warned all fertiliser distributors and retailers against selling products above government-fixed rates, hoarding of stocks or forcing farmers to purchase other products.Brar has also appealed to the farmers to remain calm and avoid panic buying or hoarding, assuring them that sufficient stocks are available to meet the demand during the kharif season.