KARAIKAL: To address fertiliser shortage in delta and other districts, the Agriculture department has started dispatching imported urea as much as 30,000 metric tonnes in quantity. The Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) has imported around 91,000 metric tonnes of urea from China and Oman, which arrived in two shipments at Karaikal Marg Port last week.
S Shoba, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department (fertilisers), said, "The department has claimed 30,000 metric tonnes from the first shipment and began sending them to delta districts via trains on Monday. We are prioritising the four delta districts -- Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur -- and sending them consignments from both road and rail from here."
A bulk carrier named MV BEECHGATE which arrived at Karaikal Marg Port on November 10 had 46,056 metric tonnes of urea from China. Another bulk carrier named MV ASTERIS which reached on November 13 carried 45,401 metric tonnes of urea from Oman.
The urea was tested for quality by the Puducherry state government (Pondicherry Fertilizer Testing Laboratory) and union government entities (Regional Fertilizer Control Laboratory)offshore and onshore, and then allowed to unload the nitrogenous fertiliser at the port. After passing the test, the officials from the Agriculture Department claimed the urea allotted For Tamil Nadu from the first shipment and began dispatching them to Nagapattinam (2400 metric tonnes), Mayiladuthurai (1400 metric tonnes), Tiruvarur (4400 metric tonnes) and Thanjavur (4850 metric tonnes) A total of 16,000 tonnes from the first shipment has reportedly been allotted to other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. The officials said they would be able to dispatch their entire share of the consignment by November 23. The allotment orders for the second shipment have not been passed and thus it is yet to be divided between the states.
S Panneerselvam, Joint Director of the Agriculture Department in Nagapattinam, said, "The urea dispatch will relieve the shortage of fertilisers to a great extent. We are also getting urea from other sources. Overall, we will be managing the requirement comfortably for this month."