LOUSAL to launch 'Fight for Right' stir
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 28 2022: Loumee Shinmee Apun Lup (LOUSAL), Manipur has declared that it will launch 'Fight for Right' agitation soon if the government fails to make urea fertilizer available at controlled rate to farmers through district agriculture offices concerned.

According to a statement of LOUSAL, the agriculture minister announced during a public function attended by the chief minister on April 13, 2022 that the state has enough stock of urea and the same will be made available to farmers in time.

During that time, farmers of the state had high hope of getting urea in time particularly during preparatory period.

Agricultural scientists advised farmers to apply urea fertilizer three times for speedy growth of paddy plant.

Time for first application of urea fertilizer had almost lapsed and some paddy fields are almost ready for the second application.

However, farmers are not getting urea till date and some farmers requiring urea desperately rely on black market at present and they are compelled to buy one bag of urea at the rate Rs 1750 and DAP at Rs 2850 .

While questioning availability of fertilizer in the black market and seizure of urea being smuggled into Myanmar recently, LOUSAL asserted that the minister concerned and MLAs must have knowledge of it and the source of urea being sold in the black market.

While the agriculture minister disclosed on June 10 that 1,00,000 urea bags are in government stock, an officer of agriculture department disclosed during a TV discussion session on June 24 that 6500 MT urea had been distributed through MLAs arid 9,000 MT urea are in government stock.

However, farmers are not getting a single bag of urea from MLAs concerned or the government, LOUSAL pointed out, adding that even farmers who have close affinity with MLAs are yet to get one kilogram of urea till date.

In view of agriculture officer's claim of distributing 6500 MT of urea through MLAs and non-distribution of the same to farmers when desperately needed, the farmers' body raised suspicion if 6500 MT of urea are being hidden for utilisation in poppy plantation.

While announcing that the farmers' body will soon launch 'Fight for Right' agitation against unavailability of urea, the LOUSAL statement issued by its publicity secretary P Premchandra appealed to farmers and district coordinators of the body to remain alert and get ready for the agitation.

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