BJD leaders and workers on Wednesday staged a protest near the Raj Bhavan here alleging short supply of fertilisers by the Central Government. The agitators also submitted a memorandum to the Governor in this regard.
BJD leader Sanjay Dasburma, who led the protest, said Odisha farmers have cultivated paddy and non-paddy crops on 61.96 lakh hectares of land this year. An Agreed Action Plan was finalised between the Central Government and the State Government, under which the former should provide fertilisers to the farmers within a fixed period of time.
However, the Centre has not done so. It is unfortunate that there is no fertiliser supply during the ongoing kharif marketing season, he said. However, the BJP refuted the allegation. “There is no scarcity of fertilisers.
The State Government has created an artificial scarcity to defame the Centre. Fertilisers are being sold to non-farmers at higher rates in the State, for which the genuine farmers are suffering,” said BJP leader Nauri Nayak.