BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Tuesday warned fertiliser dealers of strict action if they were found diverting agricultural inputs to illegal ganja cultivation in the state.
Singh Deo, who holds the Agriculture portfolio said the state government has taken serious note of allegations that fertilisers meant for kharif crops are being diverted to ganja fields.
“It has come to light that some fertiliser dealers are supplying the inputs for marijuana cultivation. The matter is being investigated and those found involved will face severe action,” he said.
The issue comes at a time when the state government is promoting alternative fertilisers amid disruption in the availability of key inputs such as urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP). The Agriculture department has recently written to district collectors asking them to actively encourage farmers to use complex fertilisers as substitutes for DAP and ammonium sulphate as an alternative to urea.
The Centre has also been emphasising the use of complex fertilisers in place of DAP, whose supply has been affected this year amid global supply-chain disruptions and volatility in fertiliser prices.
Even as Cooperation minister Pradeep Bal Samanta asserted that there was no fertiliser crisis in the state, official sources said that the demand for fertiliser has remained low in view of the excess rains this year due to back-to-back low pressures in the Bay of Bengal. The demand will increase after transplantation, they said.
“Transplantation of paddy crops is still in progress in many parts of the state which witnessed flood situation. The popular choice among farmers is urea and DAP which were in short supply. The government has been promoting nano-urea and other complex fertilisers like gromor, potassium and single super phosphate which are costly,” sources said.