LOUSAL urges to address fertiliser shortage
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 19 2021:
Loumee Shinmee Apun Lup (LOUSAL) has appealed to the Government to form an enquiry committee in the upcoming Monsoon session of Manipur Legislative Assembly to look into the long standing issue of shortage of fertilizer.
In a statement issued today, LOUSAL also appealed to the Government to frame a new farmers friendly fertilizer distribution system based on the findings of the commission.
LOUSAL also sought a comprehensive report from the Government regarding the area covered by poppy plantations in the State.
LOUSAL said 195,000 hectares of land are cultivable land and out of this 88,820 hectares are in hill districts while 5000 hectares are marked for Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA).
This leaves the total cultivable land in valley/plain area at 93,820 out of which about 20,000 are waterlogged areas which do not use fertilizer.
Only about 81,180 hectares are in need of fertilizer in valley areas and as per directives from Agriculture Department, 3 bags of 45 kg each are to be used on a hectare of paddy field, that means about 2,43,000 bags would be required.
The Government had said that the Central Government had allocated 4,40,000 bags of fertilizer, which should have been enough to cover the area in question, said LOUSAL in the statement.
As there have been cases of fertilizers being smuggled into Myanmar towards the 'Golden Triangle' in the past, there is a certain sense of concern amongst the farmers if the fertilizer meant for the paddy fields are being diverted for use in poppy plantations in the hill areas as many areas in the hills of Manipur have been reportedly used for poppy plantation in recent times, added the statement.
In addition to solving the problems related to availability of fertilizer, the Government also needs to work towards making sure the various schemes and projects meant for irrigation of cultivable lands are effectively implemented in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double the income of farmers by 2022 .