Farmers in Odisha Facing Fertiliser Shortage During Kharif Cultivation Season

Due to the scarcity of fertilizer during the Kharif paddy cultivation season, the future of many farmers is in jeopardy. Thousands of farmers in the district are having trouble getting the necessary amount of urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP). According to sources, farming activities have already accelerated and a shortage of fertiliser could spell doom for farmers.

Four-acre landowner and farmer from Bagada, Niranjan Adhikari, claimed, "I went to Kendrapara town to buy fertilizer on Friday but to no avail. Our way of life is under jeopardy. Numerous requests for the supply of fertilizer to the relevant authorities have been ignored. The saplings in paddy fields would perish if the Agriculture department is unable to give appropriate fertiliser supplies, he warned.

According to sources, the lack of rainfall in June and July has put farmers in a bad situation. Their suffering has now been made worse by the fertiliser scarcity. According to farmer leader Bijaya Parida, the district's timely seeding of paddy crops is being hampered by the lack of fertiliser. Many farmers are compelled to purchase DAP and urea at excessive prices from illegal hoarders and black marketeers, who supply inferior and counterfeit products. We want the prompt release of more fertilizer since any delay will cause the sowed crops to wither and cause farmers to incur significant losses, Parida continued.

In Kendrapara, farmers have grown paddy crops on more than 1,23,000 hectares of land, and for those crops, they require roughly 5,429.37 tonnes of fertilizer, according to district agriculture officer Manoranjan Roul. "The government has already given us 3,930 tonnes of fertilizer. Soon, more inventory will arrive. Roul added that just 57 of the 121 cooperative societies used the district agriculture office's supply of fertilizer. Those implicated in selling fake fertilizer will face harsh punishment.

Centre is also stressing on the use of nano urea, which will be developed and manufactured locally, and would help reduce imports and achieve self-sufficiency. India, the world's largest urea importer.