The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Inadequate urea stock worrying samba farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Inadequate urea stock worrying samba farmers

By Our Staff Reporter

NAMAKKAL, NOV. 12. Despite assurances from several agencies and governmental departments of adequate urea stocks, farmers in Namakkal and Karur are facing a shortage. This has come at a time when there has been an increase in the samba paddy coverage.

In spite of the recent rainfall, major tanks have either gone dry or are holding meagre quantum of water. But the storage in the Mettur Dam encouraged farmers to go in for sambacultivation this year.

Samba is being raised on about 11,000 hectares in Karur district, with Kulithalai and Krishnarayapuram taluks, fed by the Cauvery water, accounting for a major chunk. In most areas under paddy, the crop is in the vegetative stage or the first or second top dressing stage.

This is the time when farmers need large quantity of urea. But there has been inadequate supply in fertilizer shops despite assurance from the departments concerned.

Farmers said urea was available on in certain areas of the two districts that too at a premium of Rs. 30.

The reported directive from top officials to district officials that supply of urea to fertilizer mixing units be stopped, has only added to their woes as manufacture and supply of crop-specific supplements have been stopped.

While urea is a major ingredient in the products of the fertilizer mixing units, the directive has forced almost all the estimated 50 units in Tiruchi, Karur, Namakkal and Salem districts to suspend production for the last one week, said a Namakkal-based, fertilizer trader.

Some farmers in Karur allege that a portion of the urea quota for two districts was diverted to Thanjavur, to meet the increased demand there.

"Urea is available in the agricultural cooperatives, but farmers are reluctant to procure it there as authorities would remind them of their loan commitments," said the organiser of the Farmers Discussion Group, Kulithalai, A.V. Gopaladesikan.

"There is an urgent need to streamline the supply to set right the anomaly," said the Mohanur Agriculturalists' Welfare Association general secretary, G. Ajeethan.

Increased coverage under samba paddy (area under samba paddy is nearing normal coverage this year in Pallipalayam, Mohanur, Paramathi Velur), might have added pressure on this front. The government departments should have devised a strategy, rather than handing out mere assurances to farmers, he said.

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