BHUBANESWAR: Flagging the issue of short supply of fertilizers to Odisha for the ongoing kharif season, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday, July 30, 2021, requested the Centre to ensure implementation of monthly agreed supply plans and clearance of backlog as per the requirement of the State.
In a letter to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya, the Chief Minister said that as mid-July to September is the peak consumption period of urea in the State and July to August is peak period of demand for all other fertilisers, short supply of these items at this juncture will adversely affect the agricultural production and unnecessarily invite law and order situation in most of the districts.
“Farmers in the State have suffered severe crop loss due to the recent cyclone Yaas and several cyclonic storms in the previous years. Therefore to optimise their production supply of the most critical input, fertiliser should be as per requirement “ he said.
Thanking the Centre for allocation of fertilisers in the monthly movement plans as per the requirement of the State and supplied during April, the Chief Minister said that during current May, June and July, there has been severe short supply. He said that during the current kharif season till date, the State has received only 1.45 lakh tonne of urea against the allocation of 2.31 lakh tonne and agreed supply plan of 2.1 lakh tonne.
Similarly, during the period the State has received 97,763 tonne of DAP against the allocation of 1.52 lakh tonne and an agreed supply plan of 1.45 lakh tonne. Besides, 42867 tonne of MOP and 1.05 tonne of NPKS have been supplied against the allocation of 67,200 tonne and 1.68 lakh tonne and agreed supply plans of 60,000 tonne and 1.42 lakh tonne respectively.
The Chief Minister said that the supply of urea has been 62 per cent (pc) against the allocation and 69 pc of the agreed supply plan and sought the intervention of the Union Minister to ensure provision of fertilisers to the State as per the agreed supply plan in the interest of farmers.
Besides, a delegation of BJD MPs met the Union Minister at his office at New Delhi and handed over a memorandum in this regard. Stating that lakhs of farmers are awaiting the fertilizers eagerly in the State, the MPs said with the monsoon intensifying, the agricultural activities have picked up pace and the demand for the fertilizers peaked. The Union Minister assured the delegation that he would look into the matter and do the needful.