 "Odisha asks fertilizer cos to step up urea supply")
The state agriculture department has asked fertilizer manufacturers to increase urea supply to the state as a 44% drop in supply last month has led to farmers' protests in key farm belts in the ongoing kharif season.
Government data showed the companies have supplied about 62,572 tonne urea by August 26, around 56% of the desired supply quantity for the month.
In a recently conducted meeting with the representatives of Nagarjuna Fertilizer Company Ltd ( NFCL), Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Rashtriya Chemical & Fertilizer Ltd (RCFL) and KRIBHCO Shyam Fertilisers (KSFL), the agriculture secretary asked them to transport at least 70% of their fixed quantity before September 15 and the rest before September 25, adding that if the supplies do not reach in time, then law and order problem could arise.
For the current kharif season, the state has estimated its requirement of urea at around 1 lakh tonne per month. However the supplies by the four producers have not been up to the mark, leading to artificial price rise by the small time suppliers and dealers in the districts.
The supply problem has led to protests in key farm belts of the western Odisha. Farmers in Sonepur district today declared 12-hour strike in the district headquarters demanding adequate supply arrangement by the district authority.
Odisha has set a target to bring 6.15 million hectare (ha) of land under cultivation during the current kharif season. This comprises 4.11 mha for cereals, 0.96 mha for pulses, 0.45 mha for oilseeds, 0.17 mha for fibre, 0.36 mha for vegetables and 0.10 mha for spices. Key farming belts for the summer grown crops include western, north and coastal areas of the state.
Urea is the primary source of fertilizer used in most Indian farm land.The country produces about 22 million tonnes (mt) of urea a year and consumes a little more than 30 million tonnes. The remaining is met through imports.
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The price of urea, which is highly subsidised, has been fixed by the government at Rs 5,360 per tonne. However, farmers often protest complaining that short supply jacks up the rates and dealers tend to charge more than the fixed price.
A source in the agriculture department said, apart from fertilizer companies, the state government has also asked the railways to provide rakes on priority basis for transportation of urea to Odisha.