The state government has launched a drive against errant traders, hoarders and tag sellers of fertilisers with an eye to mitigate the crisis looming large on the farming community, especially the potato growers in the state. The potato growers are battling an acute shortage of MPK fertilisers, a pertinent component required to grow potatoes.
With Ravi season just round the corner, farmers in the state continue to grapple with the looming crisis of MPK fertilisers. Keeping this scenario in mind, the state agriculture department led by the minister in-charge Sovandeb Chatterjee today held a highlevel meeting at Nabanna with various stake holders, viz, dealers, cooperatives, officers of the agriculture and panchayat departments as well.
The meeting was also attended by the panchayat minister Pradip Majumdar. The meeting decided to write to the Centre, besides launching a drive against alleged unscrupulous traders, asking to augment supply of MPK fertiliser. The potato growers are dealing with the soaring prices of the particular fertiliser in the absence of adequate supply, claimed an official of the agriculture department.
Minister Chatterjee said that the crisis is due to a huge gap in supply of the required allotment of the particular fertiliser from the Centre. He claimed that the Centre also has reduced the subsidy drastically, leading to the crisis. “At a meeting held on this subject today, we have decided to write to the Centre and ask the farmers to veer around an idea in applying another variety of MPK fertiliser in conjunction with MPK variety of 10, 26, 26 till the adequate supply is restored,” said Mr Chatterjee.