As the erratic rainfall continues to pile up worries for the farmers in the State, shortage of Urea has now dealt a double whammy to the farming community already reeling under Covid crisis. The situation has become so severe that it has now affected the growth of transplanted saplings in several areas of the State posing serious risk of crop losses at a massive scale.
OTV ground report from various parts of the State shows how dealers have been accused of selling fertilisers at inflated prices due to lack of administrative control while Cooperative societies which usually provide fertilisers to farmers expressed helplessness to provide the same due to erratic supply.
At many places, farmers have started hitting streets against the government over scarcity of Urea.
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The desperation for Urea is well visualised from an incident when farmers were seen scrambling to collect sacks of fertilisers from a truck which stopped midway near Murtunga village near Umerkote following technical glitches.
Another example which corroborates the plight of farming community was a massive road blockade on Dabugaan-Jeypore and Dabugaan-Umerkote stretch in Nabarangpur recently. The farmers had resorted to demonstration in a desperate bid to draw administration’s attention.
However, no steps have yet been taken to address the issue during the time of need, they said.
Not only in Nabarangpur, but similar situation also prevailed in Nuapada and Mayurbhanj districts. Similarly, unavailability of fertilizers has pushed the famers in Nuapada to despair.
Farmers in Bamanghati in Mayurbhanj district are also reeling under the same crisis. They alleged that LAMPS are unable to provide fertilisers due to unavailability which has forced them to purchase Urea with lofty prices from the local market.
“There is no availability of fertilisers in LAMPS. We are forced to get the same from market at high prices. We are in constant touch with the LAMPS for the UREA as our crops need fertilisers at this time,” said Sanjay Mahant, a farmer in Mayurbhanj.
Nuapada district needs 20,000 metric tonne fertilisers during the monsoon season, but this season it has received only 10,000 MT. The scarcity has disrupted the agricultural activities," said Jadumani Panigrahi, a farmer in Nuapada.
Accepting the grave situation, Niranjan Dash, District Chief Agriculture Officer, Nuapada said, "We have received 4,361 MT fertilisers till now. We will receive some more amounts in the current week which will help resolve the crisis to certain extent."
Recently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had expressed concern over the short supply of fertilisers during peak period of the Kharif cultivation.
In a letter to Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Patnaik said a short supply of fertiliser may "unnecessarily invite law and order situation in most of the districts".
He urged the Union Minister to ensure supply of fertiliser to the state as per the monthly agreed supply plan including the backlog of the previous months for smooth distribution in the greater interest of farmers.
Patnaik had pointed out that the allocation declined during the peak time of May, June and July.