Poor supply of fertilisers in Orissa threatens paddy crop

The Cuttack-based Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) has estimated that paddy production will touch record 10 million tonne this kharif season. Given the area under paddy and the favourable monsoon, the state agriculture department was quite hopeful of reaping a record paddy harvest.

Of the 60 lakh hectare of cultivable land in the state, the area under paddy is 35 lakh hectare against the targeted 40 lakh hectare. Similarly, against the targeted 20 lakh hectare under non-paddy crops, the achievement is 22.5 lakh hectare by now.

However, due to poor supply of fertilisers to the state, experts have raised doubts about the productivity of paddy in the state.

A war of words is going on between the Union chemical and fertiliser minister, Srikanta Jena, and Orissa agriculture minister Debi Prasad Mishra on the issue of

Centre’s supply of fertilisers to the state.

Stating that urea is required between August and mid-September for increasing productivity of paddy, Mishra said that the Centre has supplied only 2.99 lakh tonne of urea against the commitment of 4.50 lakh tonne by mid-September.

He alleged that urea producers are not carrying out the directives of the government as there is a huge demand for fertiliser in

the country because of its low price structure compared to phosphorous fertilisers.

Meanwhile, agriculture scientists of Orissa University of Agriculture & Tech-

nology

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