KENDRAPARA: The fate of a large number of farmers hangs in balance as fertiliser has become a scarce commodity during the cultivation season of Kharif paddy. Thousands of farmers in the district are facing difficulty in procuring the requisite quantity of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea. Sources said farming activities have already picked up the pace and the fertiliser shortage may spell doom for farmers.
Niranjan Adhikari, a farmer of Bagada who owns four acres of land, alleged, “I went to Kendrapara town to purchase fertiliser on Friday but to no avail. Our livelihood is at stake. Several pleas to the authorities concerned for the supply of fertiliser have fallen on deaf ears.” If the Agriculture department fails to deliver adequate fertiliser stock, the saplings in paddy fields would die, he rued.
Sources said farmers are already in trouble due to scanty rainfall in June and July. The fertiliser shortage now has added to their misery. Farmer leader Bijaya Parida said the fertiliser shortage is affecting the timely sowing of paddy crops in the district. Many farmers are being forced to buy substandard and spurious DAP and urea at exorbitant rates from black marketers and illicit hoarders. “We demand immediate release of more fertiliser as any delay will lead to the withering of sown crops and farmers will suffer huge losses,” Parida added.
Contacted, district agriculture officer Manoranjan Roul said in Kendrapara, farmers have raised paddy crops on over 1,23,000 hectares of land for which they need around 5,429.37 tonnes of fertiliser. “We have already received 3,930 tonnes of fertiliser from the government. More stock will arrive soon.”Roul further said out of 121 cooperative societies, only 57 lifted fertiliser from the district agriculture office. Stringent action would be taken against those involved in selling spurious fertiliser.