Post News Network
Phulbani, Dec 15: Farmers of Kandhamal district have expressed resentment over not being supplied with seed potatoes even as the season of cultivating the tuber has been delayed.
However, the deputy director of horticulture, Sukant Kumar Subuddhi, has blamed the non-availability of seed potatoes for the shortage of supply.
As much as 1,635 quintals of seed potatoes have been provided to farmers against the requirement of 6,500 quintals for 300 hectares of farmland targeted for potato cultivation this year, according to sources. The farmers also faced the problem last year when 1,207 quintals of seed potatoes were supplied, the sources said.
This resulted in only a few farmers of Raikia, Tumudibandh, Kotagarh, Phulbani, Baliguda, Khajuripada, Daringbadi and K Nuagaon blocks getting the seed potatoes though this was far short of the requirement. Farmers of G Udaygiri, Chakapada, Firingia and K Nuagaon blocks have not received even one kg of the seed, said sources.
The shortage has also led to a sharp rise in the price of seed potatoes from Rs 24 per kg last year to Rs 42 this year, rued the farmers.
According to farmers, the tuber should be cultivated during the last week of October and the first week of November. This period becomes significant as there is no irrigation facility in most of the region and the farmers are solely dependent on rainfall in this period. Small ponds in the area are filled with water at this time but start drying up after November, the farmers pointed out.
Subuddhi admitted that farmers of the area are affected because of the short supply and delayed supply of the potato seed. A large portion of the seed potatoes produced in the state has been damaged and as a result the price has gone up, he said. Potato is being cultivated on 82 hectares of land in the district this year.
As much as 20 quintals of seeds have been provided for each hectare. A farmer can avail Rs 88,000 as loan per hectare through Large-sized Agricultural Multi-purpose Cooperative Societies. Around 200 farmers would be benefitted, he added.
