Urea spillage worries Dibong farmers
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 30 2024:
Farmers in Dibong area fear crop failure this season due to rainfall soaking large consignment of urea fertiliser left exposed to elements at the open platform of Jiribam railway station, leading to liquefied urea spilling into drains, irrigation canals, and agricultural lands.
Thoudam Bijen, a farmer from Dibong Ward No 10, expressed frustration over tardiness in transportation of urea to Imphal.
The recent rainfall has compounded the problem, with urea solution now flowing into residential areas, irrigation canals, and approximately 15 hectares of farmland in Dibong Awang Leikai being filled with the spilled urea solution.
The spillage of the fertiliser solution to the fields has created a foul smell, making it difficult for farmers to work on their lands, part from affecting residential areas and apprehension about potential health risks, especially to children and the elderly.
Rice transplantation, set to begin in a couple of weeks, is now uncertain.
Farmers fear that the highly concentrated urea solution in the water could cause crop failure with many staring at possible financial distress similar to the previous year when farmers struggled to repay loans procured to meet farming expenses.
As such, farmers urged the agriculture department to address the situation promptly and provide compensation in the event of crop failure apart from suggesting that new consignment of fertilisers be offloaded at Khongshang station, which will also reduce transportation costs and prevent recurrence of unwanted incidents in the future.
The lack of a government warehouse to store the fertiliser has been cited as a major contributing factor to this crisis, which is causing significant hardships for the small locality of Dibong.
The farmers are calling for immediate government intervention to mitigate the impact on their livelihoods and prevent further disturbances in the community.
"The current situation is unacceptable and is causing severe hardships for both farmers and residents," Bijen stated, drawing attention on urgent need for government action.