Bhubaneswar: In order to ensure smooth and equitable supply of fertilizers during the upcoming Kharif season amid West Asia conflict, CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday directed district collectors to take strict action, including filing FIRs and canceling licenses, against the black marketeers and hoarders. He also asked them to conduct surprise inspections at wholesale and retail points.Reviewing the fertiliser supply situation at a high-level meeting, the CM asked collectors to go beyond paper statistics and focus on last-mile delivery, ensuring that every farmer, especially small and marginal ones, receives fertilisers at fair prices. He also warned that no laxity would be tolerated in preventing hoarding of subsidized fertilisers.Majhi’s directive comes amid concerns over global supply disruptions caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict, which has affected fertilizer production. Interacting with the DMs virtually, the CM stressed the need for constant monitoring to ensure farmers are not forced to buy fertilizers at inflated rates during the crucial season.Agriculture department commissioner-cum-secretary Sachin Ramchandra Yadav informed the meeting that the Center will supply 11.42 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers to the state this year. While the requirement for April stands at 79,630 metric tonnes, the state had 3.61 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers available as of April 15.Odisha currently has 1,029 wholesale and 12,093 retail dealers, and supplies from fertilizer companies are stable. Following inspections, the state has already canceled six dealer licenses for irregularities. The CM said Odisha at present has 1.77 lakh metric tonnes of urea and more than 60,000 metric tonnes of DAP in stock.To plug leakages, Majhi instructed officials to strictly prevent smuggling of fertilizers to neighboring states by strengthening checks at border posts in coordination with police and agriculture officials. Vehicles suspected of illegal movement should be checked under the Fertilizer Movement Control Order.He also asked district-level task forces to curb the diversion of subsidized urea meant for agriculture to industries such as resin, plywood and animal feed. The CM further directed the formation of fertilizer monitoring committees at the panchayat level. Of the state’s 6,794 gram panchayats, 6,229 have already formed such committees.Highlighting transparency, Majhi pushed for mission-mode digital registration of farmers. Of the 44 lakh farmers in the state, only 15 lakh have been issued Digital Farmer IDs so far. Completion of this process, he said, will ensure fair fertilizer distribution and easier access to government schemes.
