UMERKOTE: As the State witnesses widespread protests over paddy procurement woes, Nabarangpur is reeling under another farm crisis - fertlisers have either vanished from many parts of the district or being sold at exorbitant prices.
In Nabarangpur, where 80 per cent of the population depends on agriculture, the struggle with fertiliser is a persistent problem for farmers, especially during the harvesting season. As the demand for urea, potash and DAP fertilizers is usually high during the period, unscrupulous traders have jacked up prices by creating an artificial scarcity of fertlisers, putting the farmers in a difficult spot.
Sources said unscrupulous traders are selling urea at Rs 700 against the government rate of Rs 266. Similarly, DAP is being sold at Rs 2,300 instead of Rs 1,200 while potash is priced at Rs 1,700 per bag against the actual rate of Rs 1,165. Farmers alleged that the government-approved dealers are hoarding huge quantities of fertilisers for black marketing.
As many as 734 retail shops, 53 wholesalers, 13 large area multi-purpose cooperative societies (LAMPS) and three Agro farms in Nabarangpur have been authorised to sell fertilisers at the government-approved rate.
Farmers of the district mainly cultivate paddy and maize. Official sources said this year, it has been targeted to cultivate paddy over around 1.5 lakh hectare (ha) and maize on 65,000 ha of land in Nabarangpur district. With the onset of monsoon, farm activities have picked up pace in the district but fertlisers have vanished from markets. Even the government-approved counters and godowns are facing shortage of fertilizers.
The worst hit are the farmers residing in bordering areas as they don’t get sufficient seeds and fertilisers to carry out agricultural activities. On many occasions, the farmers complained about poor quality seeds and fertilisers due to which their yield has dropped but to no avail.
District agriculture officer Hardei Misra said the administration has formed special squads to monitor the price of fertilizers. So far, seven wholesale shops have been sealed for selling fertilisers at inflated prices.
On the other hand, many farmers alleged the State government has not provided adequate fertiliser to the district. In the first phase, till June 26 this year, Nabarangpur received 6,132 tonne of urea, 4,773 tonne of DAP, 1,900 tonne of muriate of potash (MOP) and 2,628 tonne of Gromer from the Agriculture department.
Farmer leader Khemraj Bagh said till June 21, the district has received 1,000 tonne of fertiliser less as compared to last year. If adequate fertilisers are not supplied within a week, farmers of the district will be forced to take to the streets, he warned.