Rising costs and lack of availability of fertilizers are worrying paddy farmers within the district, particularly as there’s a delay for the farmers in getting the value of the paddy procured from them.
The scarcity of urea induced a lot worries to the farmers for a few month in lots of elements of the district. Some farmers alleged that the scarcity was an artificially created one by a foyer pushing the usage of nano-urea. Some cooperative our bodies concerned within the distribution of fertilizers have been blamed for insisting on unrealistic situations.
In response to Nationwide Farmers Safety Committee (NFPC) basic secretary Pandiyode Prabhakaran, making the fertilizers out there to the farmers in time is the federal government’s accountability. “Like quality seed, plenty of water and a good price, the timely application of fertilizers is vital for a paddy farmer. Just one day’s delay in the application of fertilizers can affect the growth and quality of paddy,” mentioned Mr. Prabhakaran.
Though urea, potash and sophisticated fertilizer like Factamfos are the important thing fertilizers utilized by paddy farmers, the unavailability of urea induced them worries for a few month. Urea is utilized two instances for paddy. When urea alone is used within the second section, urea is used together with potash within the third section.
Farmers mentioned they had been witnessing a gradual enhance within the costs of fertilizers. “Each season is witnessing about 5 to 10% increase in the prices of fertilizers. The paddy’s procurement price has been stagnant for the last few years, but the fertilizer price has been going up,” mentioned Mr. Prabhakaran.
Rashtriya Kisan Maha Sangh (RKMS) State vice-chairman Muthalmthodu Mani mentioned the federal government ought to make constructive interventions to assist the farmers. Mr. Mani and workforce are organsing a Kisan maha panchayat at Kuzhalmannam on December 20 to press the federal government to implement its guarantees made to the farmers. A dozen odd farmer leaders from the northern States are anticipated to attend the maha panchayat.
Aside from the fertilizers, scarcity of water within the dams in Palakkad can also be worrying the farmers. Most dams, together with Malampuzha, have water for hardly one month’s irrigation. This aside, the leakage of water from the Malampuzha dam too has raised issues.
Farmers staged a protest at Malampuzha final week demanding rapid plugging of the leak. Irrigation division officers have promised to plug the leak by the top of December.
Mr. Prabhakaran blamed the engineers of Irrigation division for his or her failure to cease the leak. “Malampuzha dam used to cater to 25,000 hectares. Now with hardly 15,000 hectares of paddy, there is a severe shortage of water. Where does the water go,” he requested.