Fertiliser crisis being closely monitored in Pirojpur: DAE

PIROJPUR, Aug 27: There is no artificial fertiliser crisis in Pirojpur, while the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has strengthened monitoring from the grassroots to district levels to prevent irregularities in the supply and sale of fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides.

“No shortage of fertiliser or abnormal price hike has been detected so far,” said Moutitra Sarkar, Deputy Director of the DAE in Pirojpur.

He made the remarks at his office on Thursday morning.

He said agriculture officials at the block level under sub-assistant agriculture offices were closely monitoring the distribution and sale of fertilisers.

“If any irregularity is detected, mobile courts are ready to take legal action against the violators,” he said.

The DAE official said the process of appointing fertiliser dealers was ongoing, while existing dealerships had not yet been reshuffled.

“Despite this, we have sufficient fertiliser stock in the district,” he said.

Sarkar said fertiliser was currently needed mainly for T-Aman cultivation. As there are no significant monsoon crops in the district at present, demand for fertiliser remains relatively low.

“Demand will increase during the cultivation of high-yielding varieties (HYV), but that season is still ahead,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the production of paddy, vegetables and other crops would not be affected by any fertiliser crisis in the district.

In response to a question, Sarkar said the distribution of free fertilisers, pesticides, seeds and saplings as agricultural incentives was continuing among farmers across the district.

According to official data, Pirojpur has received 1,269 metric tonnes of urea, 880 metric tonnes of triple super phosphate (TSP), 720 metric tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 239 metric tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP) from the directorate.

Of these supplies, 740 metric tonnes of urea, 406 metric tonnes of TSP, 442 metric tonnes of DAP and 123 metric tonnes of MOP have already been distributed among farmers this month.

The closing stock stands at 723.9 metric tonnes of urea, 329.9 metric tonnes of TSP, 269.4 metric tonnes of DAP and 370.75 metric tonnes of MOP, according to official documents.

The official said the available stock was sufficient to meet the current demand and that the authorities were keeping a close watch on dealers to prevent hoarding, overcharging and other irregularities.

He added that field-level officials were regularly monitoring the situation and reporting any problems to the higher authorities.

The DAE has also been continuing incentive programmes for farmers, including the distribution of agricultural inputs free of cost.

Sarkar said the authorities would continue monitoring the market and supply chain, particularly as fertiliser demand is expected to rise during the upcoming HYV cultivation season.