'Less paddy yield likely due to inadequate fertiliser'

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Tuesday apprehended about 12 per cent less yield of paddy during this kharif season mostly due to inadequate and untimely fertiliser supply to the farmers.

"The farmers could not get adequate fertiliser at the proper time. Therefore, paddy production is likely to be affected by an average 12 per cent," Agriculture Minister Debi Prasad Mishta told reporters here. While the Centre had committed supply of 9.66 lakh MT of chemical fertiliser to the state during the ongoing kharif, it had till today given only 5.26 lakh MT, pointed out Mishra.

Though there is heavy demand for urea fertiliser by Odisha farmers, Mishra alleged that the Centre supplied only 2.99 lakh MT against the commitment of giving 4.50 lakh MT. Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena, on the other hand, claimed that Odisha had got more fertiliser this time. "Rakes of fertiliser are being despatched to Odisha at regular intervals," Jena told reporters here.

The state government, however, maintained that the state had received less fertiliser this time than previous years. While Odisha had got 7.06 lakh MT fertiliser in 2011 Kharif, the state got only 5.26 lak MT fertiliser in 2012. The quantum of supply of fertiliser to the state in 2010 kharif was 7.57 lakh MT, Mishra said.