Fertiliser ministry slips up on rabi supply

The agriculture ministry is unhappy with the fertiliser ministry's inaction in ensuring adequate and timely availability of fertilisers for rabi sowing.

Several states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, have reported shortage of fertilisers, especially phosphatic ones.

According to Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh, the paucity of fertilisers could be perceived even before the rabi sowing began.

The agriculture ministry had forewarned the fertiliser ministry, but adequate steps were not taken to augment the supplies through timely imports, she said.

The agriculture ministry, on its part, had been closely monitoring the supply position and was ensuring dispatch of additional railway rakes carrying fertilisers to the deficit pockets.

The matter will now be discussed at a meeting convened by the Cabinet Secretary on December 10.

Singh, however, ruled out any tangible impact of this shortage on the rabi crop output as the sowing was progressing well and weather factors were favourable for a good harvest. The rabi planting had begun relatively early this season due to the moisture added to the soil by late post-monsoon rains in several areas.

She said the area coverage under pulses and oilseeds was expected to be higher than last year. Pulses acreage may exceed the last rabi season's level by some 2 million hectares. The oilseed acreage, too, was expected to be marginally higher.

The planting of wheat, the major rabi foodgrain, is in full swing. Nearly, half the normal area has already been covered under this crop. Production will definitely be higher than last year's 72 million tonnes.

"If the weather does not turn unfavourable towards the fag end of the season, as it happened in the last rabi, this year's wheat output may swell to a record 79-80 million tonnes," said the agriculture secretary.

Sowing of rabi rice had just begun and the total area coverage is expected to be normal. The total rice output (kharif and rabi) will be higher than last year's 87 million tonnes.

Among the rabi coarse grains, the sowing of jowar and barley was ahead of last year's comparative position, she said.