No fertilizer shortage for kharif season: Agri director
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 16 2021: Agriculture director Kh Lalmani has said that there will be no shortage of fertilisers for the farmers during the upcoming Kharif season and transportation of 8,000 bags of urea currently lying at Jiribam rail head will be brought to the state's capital in a day or two.

According to Lalmani, the state government has already procured 50,000 bags of urea for the Kharif season and preparation for stocking requisite quantity of fertilizers for the Kharif season has been made and hence farmers need not worry about shortage of fertilizers.

He said that the Union government allocated seven racks of fertilizer for the state this year and three racks have already been transported to the state while necessary deposit for remaining four racks had also been made.

Preparation has been made to stock half of the total allocation made by the Government of India for the state for Kharif season and there is strong belief that there will be no shortage of fertilizer this year, he said.

About the mode of transportation, the agriculture director said that factory transports fertilizer till Jiribam rail head while transportation of the same from Jiribam to Imphal is to be done by authorised transporters.

He also explained that one rack comprises 58,000 bags and it is impossible to transport all the bags at once owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

However, 50,000 bags out of 58,000 bags have been brought to Jiribam and the remaining 8,000 bags are still at Jiribam rail head and transportation of the same till Imphal is already under process.

He clarified that transportation of remaining fertilizer currently lying at Jiribam rail head was delayed as 36 labourers are in containment zone after some of them tested positive of COVID-19 .

Containment period of the labourers ended Wednesday and hence they will resume work, he added.

The agriculture director further said that production capacity of fertilizer at factory decreases due to COVID-19 pandemic while oxygen plants too were diverted to production of medical oxygen and hence faced some issues.

Nevertheless, transportation of required fertilizer for the state is continuing, he assured.

Comment