In the wake of protests and agitation by farmers following non-availability of fertilizer in kharif season, the Centre has assured the Bihar government of making available adequate quantity of fertilizer to meet the demands during Rabi season.
Talking to reporters, state Agriculture Production Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sinha said the state would make available adequate quantity of fertilizer to farmers during
Rabi season during 2011-12.
“An assurance to this effect has been given by the Centre… it has assured us of making available 11.5 lakh metric tonne fertilizer in keeping with the demands of farmers
in Bihar during Rabi season,” Sinha said.
He alleged that the situation the state witnessed in form of protests and opposition by farmers because of lack of fertiliser was due to poor allocation of fertilizer by the
Centre during the Kharif season.
“But we once against took up with the Centre the issue of providing adequate quantity of fertilizer for farmers in Bihar during Rabi season and the Centre has accepted it,” he
said.
Sinha said Union Cabinet Secretary A K Seth had a meeting with Bihar chief secretary Navin Kumar through video-conferencing during which the Centre decided to make
available 11.50 lakh metric tonne urea, 2.75 lakh metric tonne DAP, two lakh metric tonne NPK and 1.65 lakh tonne MOP to farmers in Bihar for Rabi crops.
Bihar has placed before the Centre an order of supplying 1.65 lakh metric tonne fertiliser for the farmers during the month of October, he said.
He admitted that several complaints of hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers were received by the state government from different places.The state agriculture department and District Magistrates acted promptly and conducted raids 584 places and recovered 25,000 urea, Sinha said.
Altogether 91 FIRs were registered against blackmarketing of fertilisers, while licences of 76 dealers were cancelled and 170 others were suspended, he informed.
Sinha said the state government was laying thrust on promotion of Dhaincha (green fertiliser) to lessen the farmers dependence on urea.