Bhubaneswar: Union Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday stated that the Centre is committed to ensure uninterrupted supply of fertilizers to Odisha.
The statement of Mandaviya came in response to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s request seeking immediate redressal of the shortage of urea fertiliser in the State.
Pradhan had earlier sought the intervention of the Union Minister after the matter was raised by Balbhadra Majhi, ex-MP from Nabarangpur.
On August 17, farmers in Sundergarh district had created ruckus at the Ration Card Management System (RCMS) office in Rajamunda and the Bonai LAMPCS protesting acute shortage of fertilisers for crops.
Farmers had alleged that the officials were deliberately delaying the delivery of fertilisers and making them wait for hours in the crucial time of paddy plantation.
Not only Sundergarh district, severe shortage of fertiliser was also alleged by farmers in Keonjhar district, prompting them to gather in huge numbers at local cooperative offices in the times of Covid-19 pandemic on August 19.
About 5000 farmers were seen gathering at Telkoi Large Area Multi-Purpose Societies (LAMPS) to collect fertiliser, throwing the Covid safety norms to the winds.
On the other hand, Odisha government had on Tuesday urged the Centre to supply at least 1.03 lakh metric tonne of urea immediately as the farmers in the State were facing an acute shortage of the fertiliser during the current kharif season.
Odisha has received only 56,228 tonnes of urea in June as against its quota of 70,000 tonne for the month, the State Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo had said.
Compared to the stipulated quantity, the State has got 19,619 tonne less urea in July, Sahoo had said at a virtual meeting between state agriculture ministers and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertiliser Mansukh Mandaviya.
(Edited By Pradeep Singh)
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