MANIPUR AGRI MINISTER CLARIFIES ON FERTILIZER SCARCITY

In the wake of recent allegations of the Manipur government of inducing shortage and price rise of fertilizers by farmers, the Agriculture Minister has clarified its stand. The minister attributed this scarcity to the unavailability of Manipur’s quota of fertilizer due to failure of the Namrup fertilizer plant. Due to the non-availability of subsidized fertilizers and sky high prices of fertilizers in the market, farmers in Manipur are going through immense difficulties in sowing paddy despite favorable rainfall and timing. It has been alleged that the current difficulties by farmers are a creation of the Manipur government along with their dealers who are selling off subsidized fertilizers to unauthorized agents who are selling fertilizers at very high price to the farmers. On Wednesday, the Agriculture Minister of Manipur has clarified that the prevailing fertilizer crisis was not created by the state government or its dealers but it is an outcome of the breakdown of Namrup fertilizer plant in Assam where Manipur government gets the major chunk of its allotted fertilizer. Speaking to NeTV, Agriculture Minister, Ph Parijat also informed that the government has already taken steps to check the prevailing price rise within the next 4 days while assuring that dealer and agents will be dealt according to law if found selling fertilizer at high price. According to the agriculture Minister, every necessary step are being taken by the state government to check the scarcity of fertilizers and its price while assuring fertilizers will be made available to farmers at the earliest. Ph Parijat further informed that the Union Government has sent extra fertilizers in the wake of shortage of fertilizer which will be reaching Manipur within the next 2 days.At the moment, farmers in Manipur are buying a bag of urea at a rate of Rs 1400 onwards which is normally sold within Rs 520 per bag. The distribution of subsidized fertilizers to the farmers has long been stopped for which the dealers have claimed supply shortage while the market is flooded with fertilizer, however, at a very high price.

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