LOUSAL highlights shortfalls of Urea shortage
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 12 2022:
The Loumee Sinmee Apunba Lup (LOUSAL) has warned that the Government initiatives like War on Drugs and the CAF&PD Department's plan to buy paddy from farmers will never bear fruit if the crisis of shortage of Urea persists every year.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here this afternoon, LOUSAL president Mutum Churamani lamented that shortage or unavailability of Urea has become a chronic problem in the State.
The crisis of Urea is there this time too.
It is rather unfortunate that an unwanted incident took place at the District Agriculture Office, Imphal West at Lamphelpat yesterday regarding Urea, he said.
According to calculations made in 2012 before the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2014 came into force, the State's annual requirement of Urea was 15,000 MT, Churamani said.
Now the annual requirement of Urea has risen to 22,000 MT despite shrinking of agricultural land and emergence of organic farming at different pockets, he said.
The fact that the demand for Urea has been rising while the total agricultural land is shrinking is a big question.
But LOUSAL has already pointed out that Urea is used extensively in poppy plantations in the hill areas, he continued.
As long as the crisis of Urea persists, the War on Drugs will never achieve its goal and the CAF&PD Department's plan to purchase paddy from the State's farmers will never bear fruit, asserted the LOUSAL president.
He then pointed out that distribution of Urea has been politicised as the fertilizer is distributed either through MLAs or Ministers.
The notification issued recently by the Government which said that Urea would be made available to farmers through District Agriculture Offices was a right step, he remarked.
Arrogance on the part of officials concerned and their apathy towards farmers were responsible for the untoward incident which took place at DAO, Imphal West yesterday, he alleged.
Farmers were standing in queue throughout the night to purchase Urea but the queue remained static till 11 am of the next day.
This enraged the farmers.
Moreover, the officials had the audacity to announce that only 250 bags of Urea would be distributed and the remaining bags had been reserved for MLAs/Ministers.
Nonetheless, the LOUSAL president appealed to all concerned farmers not to repeat the act of vandalism they committed at the District Agriculture Office.
As for Bishnupur district, fertilizers were distributed to farmers very peacefully and smoothly yesterday under a joint initiative of the officials concerned, LOUSAL and farmers, Churamani said.
He also expressed keen desire for the Government to appoint someone who has a fair knowledge of agriculture and allied activities to the post of Agriculture Director.
Meanwhile, LOUSAL came across round 400 bags of Urea stored inside a shop at Wabagai Lamkhai Keithel, Kakching district yesterday.
Not long after, some volunteers of Kakching District United Clubs' Organisation came to the shop belonging to one Naorem Santa and claimed that the Urea stored there belonged to MLA Usham Deben, Churamani said.
Later it was learnt that the Urea bags were distributed to farmers.
MLA Dr U Deben ought to come out with a clarification regarding the Urea bags stored inside the shop and police too need to pull up Naorem Santa and take up befitting action, he said.
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