The farmers of Nuapada district are facing an acute shortage of fertiliser. Jujesti Nag of Bargaon Panchayat has been running to the Bargaon Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) for the last three days hoping to buy fertiliser, but in vain.
“Sale of fertilisers in the society started today. I need three packets of DAP and two packets of urea for paddy and cotton cultivation in my four acres of land, but I don’t know how much I will get,” said Jujesti, who had received only two packets of DAP from the society last year at Government rate. He had to buy the remaining fertiliser from the open market at exorbitant rates.
This year DAP price in open market is between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,800 per packet and urea is Rs 500 per packet which are much above the Government rates. “This is the problem for everyone” said Tripen Bhoi of Badmaheswar village who was in queue on Monday in the society to buy fertiliser.
"I need four packets of DAP and urea. Last year, I didn’t get a single bag from the society," he said.
According to the secretary of Bargaon Cooperative Society, fertilizer need of farmers of three Panchayats under Bargaon PACS is about 8,000 quintals for kharip season. However, an average of 2,500 quintals of fertiliser comes to the society during the season. This year only 1,350 quintals of fertiliser has arrived till date. In this situation, farmers are forced to buy fertilisers at exorbitant prices in the open market, he told.
“The Government is appealing farmers for cultivating other crops instead of paddy. The farmers in our district have been taking up cotton, which needs more fertiliser, but fertiliser is not available sufficiently,” said Sanjay Tiwari, a farmer and convenor of Krushak
Shakti Sangathan, Nuapada. "The district administration should understand these problems and save the farmers from distress," he added.