Sambalpur: A preponderance of chemical fertilizers has taken a heavy toll on land’s fertility which, if unchecked, may spell doom to the ever-growing population. Overuse of inorganic fertilizers like nitrogen(urea), phosphorous and potash has resulted in a major fall in natural nutrients in the soil in most districts. This is also leading to a grim situation of diminishing returns from land; and farmers in the state are a worried lot.
This happens at a time when the nation seeks a sustained rise in its farm output to feed its ever-bulging population. High-productive districts like Bargard, Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur, where use of chemical fertilizers is the highest, are most vulnerable to this menace.
In Sambalpur, the per hectare productivity was 28.98 quintals in 2014. It came down to 9.08 quintals in 2015, a drought year, and 25.86 quintals last year. The total farm output in the district was 3.37 lakh MT in 2014, that dipped to 0.94 lakh MT in 2015 and 2.72 lakh MT in 2016.
The soil nutrient index of the district showed a marked decline over the last few years. The organic carbon (OC) level of the land was 2.29 per cent in 2013-14 that plummeted to 1.78 per cent in 2014-15, only to go up a tad at 2.14 per cent in 2015-16 and again slump to 1.58 per cent in 2016-17. Overuse of inorganic chemicals in farming was a prime reason for this fall, said a soil scientist from OUAT.
The per hectare usage of inorganic fertilizers in Orissa is 57 kilos now —far below the quantities used in agriculturally advanced states like Punjab and Haryana. There, the usage is between 120 kg/ha and 140 kilos/ha. However, in pockets like in Atabira of Bargarh district, the per/hectare consumption has gone up to about 140 kilos per hectare — seen as a clear recipe for land infertility.
Farmers in Nabarangpur district were forced to stop cotton cultivation — a fertilizer intensive crop — as overuse of chemical fertilizers killed its fertility. Famers in the district switched to maze. In some areas in the district, people have opted for eucalyptus against growing maze, said Pravash Kumar Samal, deputy director of agriculture at Sambalpur.
An overdose of inorganic fertilizers in farming has robbed essential nutrients of soil even as it resulted in a sharp pick-up in agricultural production over decades. Overuse of chemical fertilizers has hardened soil, decreased its fertility and strengthened pesticides. An overdose of nitrogen has destroyed helpful microorganisms and bacteria in the soil.
A combination of high-yielding varieties of seeds, infusion of irrigation water, chemical fertilizers and pesticides helped the country develop a food surplus that is essential to feed a booming population. However, this contributed to a raise in soil health degradation, environmental pollution, pesticide toxicity and sustainability of agricultural production.
The Centre introduced ‘Paramparik Krushi Vikash Yojana (PKVY) to arrest fast degradation of land fertility in the country due to overuse of inorganic fertilizers. The state government is implementing the scheme in 10 districts. In every district, 2000 acres of land has been earmarked where farmers will use only organic fertilizers to grow crops. The government gives an aid of `3000 per acre to every farmer.
Sisir Mishra, OP
