Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday asked district Collectors to focus on the last-mile delivery of fertilisers. Reviewing the availability and equitable distribution of fertilisers for the Kharif season amid the West Asia crisis at a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan here, the CM directed Collectors to ensure that farmers receive fertilisers as per their requirements during the season.
Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said the Centre has been issuing advisories to state governments on fertiliser management from time to time and urged department officials to follow them. Co-operation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta also advised Collectors and officials to streamline the fertiliser distribution system. Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav said the Centre will provide 11,42,950 metric tonnes of fertilisers this year. He added that while 79,630 metric tonnes are required for April, 3,61,490 metric tonnes were available as of April 15. Odisha has 1,029 fertiliser wholesalers and 12,093 retailers, he said, adding that the supply of fertilisers from various companies is also regular. Discussing the fertiliser supply situation with district Collectors, who joined through videoconferencing, Majhi said the state currently has 1.77 lakh metric tonnes of urea and over 60,000 metric tonnes of DAP.
However, he directed Collectors to focus on last-mile delivery rather than just statistics. He said they should ensure that every farmer, whether small or marginal, receives fertiliser as per requirement. Ordering strict action against black marketers, Majhi said warehouses of wholesalers and retailers should be inspected regularly.
Collectors should also conduct surprise inspections. He directed that FIRs be lodged against illegal fertiliser dealers and that their licences be cancelled. The CM also directed the police and Agriculture department to jointly monitor border checkposts to prevent fertiliser smuggling out of Odisha. He further asked district-level task forces to take action. Majhi asked officials to ensure the formation of panchayat-level monitoring committees within two to three days to regulate fertiliser availability and supply. He also emphasised the distribution of digital farmer IDs. He advised conducting awareness programmes to encourage farmers to use balanced fertilisers instead of excessive chemical fertilisers such as urea.
Majhi directed that data on fertiliser stock and prices be displayed at all fertiliser sales centres. Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Cooperation Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, and senior officials of the Agriculture and Cooperation departments were also present at the meeting.
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