Bhubaneswar, April 17: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi chaired a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar on Friday. He instructed district collectors to ensure effective arrangements for fertilizer distribution to the last mile ahead of the upcoming Kharif season.
Considering the disruptions in fertilizer production due to ongoing conflicts in West Asia, the Chief Minister discussed necessary measures with district collectors via video conferencing. He emphasized the importance of providing fertilizers to farmers at reasonable prices.
According to an official statement, Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Odisha Agriculture Department, presented details on fertilizer availability. He noted that the central government will supply 1,142,950 metric tons of fertilizer this year. The requirement for April is 79,630 metric tons, and as of April 15, a total of 361,490 metric tons of fertilizer has already been made available.
Currently, there are 1,029 wholesalers and 12,093 retailers in the state, with supply remaining stable. Following a statewide inspection, the state government has revoked the licenses of six dealers.
The central government’s Integrated Fertilizer Management System (IFMS) is providing daily updates on fertilizer availability and allocation in the districts.
After reviewing the situation, the Chief Minister stated that the state has a stock of 177,000 metric tons of urea and over 60,000 metric tons of DAP. However, he stressed the need to focus beyond just the numbers to ensure ground-level distribution.
He instructed collectors to ensure that every farmer, whether small or marginal, receives the necessary fertilizers.
Chief Minister Majhi also issued several important directives to combat black marketing and hoarding, including regular inspections, filing FIRs, and revoking licenses. Collectors were directed to ensure joint monitoring of border checkpoints by police and agricultural officials to prevent the smuggling of fertilizers to neighboring states and to stop the diversion of subsidized urea to industries like resin, plywood, or animal feed.
Additionally, he instructed that monitoring committees be established in 565 out of the remaining 6,794 panchayats within two to three days to streamline fertilizer distribution and availability.
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