Sambalpur: The company is raising its hands, after the mixed fertilizers, now there is a crisis of urea

Rs. 267 fertilizer cost Rs. 500 to the farmer

Sambalpur: For the first time this year, the farmers of Western Odisha have decided to get complex (mixed) fertilizers. The complex fertilizers which are available in abundant quantity were not available to the farmers this time. As the prices of DAP, Growmore etc rise, old stocks were allegedly pressed by unscrupulous traders and then black marketed. Due to late rains and shortage of fertilizers, farmers in uncultivated areas could not confirm till the first week of August whether they would cultivate. After good rains from the second week of August, the farmers cultivated. But if the farmer wants to increase his crops by using the artificial deficiency of complex fertilizers in some way, then the deficiency of urea again stands in front of him like a hill. There is acute shortage of essential urea fertilizer in various districts including Sambalpur. As the cooperative distribution system has collapsed, the companies are handing the fertilizer directly to the traders. As a result, rural farmers are buying urea at reasonable prices. Small farmers are facing the biggest problem. The farmers’ organizations complained that the district administration was not understanding the plight of the farmers while the agriculture department was completely inactive. The government has a clear policy that whatever fertilizer comes to a district, at least 50% of it will be distributed to the farmers through cooperatives like lamps, packs. But Markfed, which is responsible for ensuring this, is not active in different districts. There is no Area Manager of Markfed in Sambalpur. Taking advantage of this, the companies are reaching out to the urea fertilizer traders or wholesalers who come from the rack point (railway siding). In fact, it should go to the warehouse and from there it should be paid to different parties in different proportions. But it is not done because of transportation cost and other excuses. But the fertilizer that is being distributed from the railway siding is also going on under the auspices of the agriculture department. As there is no role of department or government in this system, companies and traders are doing their own thing. In the month of August, 3 racks of fertilizer were unloaded in Sambalpur, all of which went directly to the hands of traders. As the cooperatives do not get adequate quantity of fertilizer, they are giving 1 bag to those who need 5 bags of urea. Farmers are forced to go to private dealers and fall prey to the black market.

However, urea is not available as per requirement or demand. Farmer leader Ashok Pradhan complained that rural farmers and small farmers are facing huge losses due to this. The district administration has not held a single meeting with the representative farmers this year regarding how to farm and whether there are any problems. Government officials and fertilizer dealers held a meeting among themselves and reported that everything was going well. Mr. Pradhan expressed his anger that there seems to be no one else to understand the farmer’s plight.

In this connection, Sambalpur chief district agriculture officer Tankdhar Sahu said that the wholesalers now have plenty of urea fertilizer in the district. But the co-operatives do not have as much as they should. Markfed supplies fertilizers to 45 societies in the district. Out of them, 8 societies have run out of urea. Societies provide fertilizers to their borrower farmers. Then they sell some to other farmers. Then, because they are not getting the fertilizer they need, they may be dividing them little by little.

There are 6-7 private fertilizer wholesalers in Sambalpur district while Markfed is the official wholesaler. Markfed supplies fertilizers to societies. The amount of fertilizer to be supplied to Markfed is decided at the state level and negotiated with the companies. In the month of August in Sambalpur district, 5 companies like NFL, NFL, BVFL, Metrics and RCFL were scheduled to give 4000 tons of urea each 800 tons. So far 2650 tons have been received. Mr. Sahu admitted that fertilizer is being given directly to the traders from the rack point and said that the wholesalers who are depositing the advance amount of fertilizer with the companies before 15 days, the respective companies are providing the fertilizer directly from the rack point.