Bhubaneswar: Amid resentment brewing among farmers over scarcity of fertiliser in the state, Odisha assembly’s Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Saturday sought the Centre’s intervention and demanded adequate supply of urea during the current khariff season.
Patnaik’s appeal came following reports of farmers hitting the streets to press their demand for adequate supply of fertiliser in the southern Odisha districts of Malkangiri, Ganjam and Nabarangpur.
Their protest in Malkangiri led to the disruption of traffic movement on the National Highway-326 on Friday.
In a letter to Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda, Patnaik, the BJD president and former chief minister, requested him to “take necessary steps for adequate supply of urea to Odisha during this khariff season in the larger interest of the farming community”.
Stating that agriculture is the “mainstay of Odisha’s economy, which provides livelihood to more than 70 per cent of its population, the BJD chief said the state’s growth in the agricultural sector has been spectacular in the past two decades.
“From a mere importer of rice, Odisha has transformed itself into a major contributor to the country’s Public Distribution system,” he mentioned in the letter.
Patnaik said Odisha has become self-sufficient in rice production, and this was possible because of the use of technology and adequate supply of inputs.
Fertiliser is a major input to agricultural production, and its smooth supply is very crucial for crop growth during the khariff season, he said.
The former chief minister pointed out that the farmers of Odisha are now “facing a major problem in obtaining urea during this ongoing khariff season”.
“Short supply of urea along with its black marketing and adulteration is a major concern for our farmers now at the start of the khariff season,” he claimed.
“In many districts, particularly in tribal districts, the farmers are on an agitation path due to the non-availability of urea. If not addressed timely, it may cause serious disruption of farm activities, which will impact production and also affect the livelihood of farmers,” he said.
Though the state government claims to have 7.94 lakh tonne of urea, farmers are struggling to get the fertiliser.
“Urea is being sold illegally at a higher price than the government-approved rate across Odisha. Markfed, the government’s designated distribution agency, is supplying subsidised fertilisers to private traders instead of farmers,” Patnaik alleged.
“Despite lower fertiliser use in Odisha, supply chain mismanagement and corruption have pushed our farmers to the edge,” Patnaik claimed, adding that the delay in the Talcher fertiliser plant, whose foundation stone was laid in 2018, is also a concern.
It was promised that the facility would be functional in 36 months, but seven years later, it remains nonoperational, he pointed out.
Keeping in view the farmers’ unrest and scarcity of fertiliser, Patnaik said that the need of the hour is an immediate “crackdown on black marketing and punishment of guilty dealers and officials associated with fertiliser distribution through cooperative societies”.
