Chhattisgarh: Congress alleges fertiliser, seed shortage, govt rebuts
Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant, who flagged the shortages during the Zero hour in the Chhattisgarh assembly, said the BJP-led Vishnu Deo Sai government had failed to ensure adequate supply of essential farm inputs such as urea and DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) fertilisers.
'The government appears to be deliberately creating an artificial fertiliser crisis to reduce paddy cultivation,' said Mahant.
The Opposition claimed that the government reduced the target for DAP distribution for Kharief 2025 by 30,000 tonnes over last year's figures and only 1.01 lakh tonnes had been supplied so far.
Similarly, 3.59 lakh tonnes of urea has been distributed aainst a target of 7.12 lakh tonnes, they said.
Congress leaders said that while fertilisers are available in the open market, shopkeepers were taking advantage of the shortage in cooperative societies by engaging in black marketing.
They said the small and marginal farmers, who make up 80% of the state's farmers, were the worst affected.
Chhattisgarh agriculture minister Ramvichar Netam said the availability of phosphatic fertilisers depended on imports, which were under strain due to global conditions. Netam said the government had anticipated the supply chain challenges and started making arrangements for alternative fertilisers, he said.
'An estimated demand of 6.90 lakh metric tonnes of phosphatic fertilisers, 6.40 lakh metric tonnes have been stored and over 4.25 lakh metric tonnes lifted by farmers. Over 2.14 lakh metric tonnes still remain available,' the minister said.
For urea, more than 6 lakh metric tonnes have been stored so far, of which 4.37 lakh tonnes have already been lifted by farmers, leaving over 1.62 lakh tonnes in stock, he added.
He rejected the Congress's allegations, stating that the fertiliser demand is calculated for the full cropping season and supplies were still coming in. He also denied any revision in the DAP target, asserting that the government had instead arranged to store additional NPK and SSP fertilisers to compensate for any global supply disruptions.
Netam also said that of the 4,81,730 quintals of seeds stored through cooperative and departmental means, 4,43,452 quintals had already been lifted by farmers, and over 38,000 quintals were still available.
The minister added that a statewide crackdown on black marketing has ensured that all fertilisers are being sold at the prescribed rates.
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