Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 17: Former Minister and MLA of Marh, Ch Sukhnandan has urged the Government to ensure availability of fertilizers especially urea and pesticides in the Jammu region as its shortage has caused a lot of problem to farmers.
Addressing a press conference at Party headquarters Trikuta Nagar here, today along with BJP secretary, Arvind Gupta he said due to the shortage of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and other necessary inputs the farmers in Jammu region are in a great trouble.
Ch Sukhnandan said that despite Agriculture being exempted from the lockdown, the non availability of fertilizers and pesticides has been an issue for the farmers. Summer season is on the horizon but due to the pandemic, there has been a noticeable disruption in the production and transportation value chain of major agriculture inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
“The shortage of fertilizers and pesticides has led to black-marketeering and hoarding. Traders have stock, but are holding on to it because the coming two weeks are crucial for crops’ growth. At this time, farmers will not mind paying a little extra to get the Urea. Many shop owners have stock but they are not selling it. They are holding the stock at a different location and farmers are suffering on account of this,” he added.
The Government should keep in view that the Summer crop is not only a key crop cycle for farmers but is equally important for the growth of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy which largely depends on the Agricultural and Horticulture sectors, he said.
Till now the response of the Agriculture and Horticulture departments has been poor due to which the farmers are in panic. Due to non-availability of fertilizer, pesticides and seeds, the farmers would lose crops and the overall crop production would be drastically affected.
The movement of pesticides and fertilizers has been also affected due to the restriction on transport, he said. The other major inputs for agriculture are pesticides and insecticides. It is imperative to ensure social distancing and other measures by the Government to prevent spread of Corona Virus, but a mechanism must be put in place to ensure that farmers carry on their activities without any hindrance.
He further urged the authorities to streamline the supply of fertilizers and pesticides in his area otherwise, leaving no other option they have to come on the roads to fulfill their genuine demands.
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