MADIKERI: The sudden spike in fertiliser prices has left the farmers of Kodagu district a worried lot. The price of Muriate of Potash has increased by over 90 per cent since the last monsoon, pushing the farmers to seek an increase in subsidy for the same.
“MoP was priced at Rs 895 for a 50-kg bag during the last monsoon season. However, there was an acute shortage of the fertiliser and growers struggled to get it amid the lockdown. What is shocking is that the price of MOP currently stands at Rs 2,000 for a 50-kg bag,” said Harish Madappa, a coffee grower.
Madappa rued that the government subsidy for the fertiliser, however, stands unchanged at Rs 303 for a 50-kg bag. District president of farmers’ association C Ganesh said that farmers are facing immense loss due to incessant rainfall and rising prices of fertilisers, including MoP and Ammonium Sulphate.
“Production cost is increasing by the day. Farmers are hardly getting any returns from their yield. The government must increase the current subsidy for the fertiliser from Rs 300 to at least Rs 1,000 per bag,” he added.