Warangal: Farmers face potash supply crunch

Warangal: One way or another way, farmers have always been at the receiving end. Sometimes rain gods play truant due to excessive and deficit rainfall, which no one can be blamed. But the governments have to make sure to curb spurious seed while ensuring proper supply of fertilisers.

In the middle of kharif, the farmers in erstwhile Warangal district found themselves in a dire situation with the markets displaying no stock boards of all important MOP, which increases disease resistance, drought tolerance, plumpness of grain and seed, and improves stem rigidity etc.

While agriculture department was drawing criticism for not preparing proper estimates to procure MOP beforehand; its officials refute that it was not in their purview. Farmers use the MOP thrice – once at transplantation stage, then after three weeks and finally during the growth. For the last few days, farmers have been running from pillar to post to fetch the MOP but in vain.

According to agriculture officials, the erstwhile Warangal district needs 50,000 tonnes of MOP per season. Sulfate of Potash can also be used as a substitute, they added. The officials Meanwhile, the industry sources say that the import of MOP has come down from 16.06 lakh tones to 10.33 lakh tones in the country. Somehow, Kharif may be managed with the current stocks but problem may arise in the rabi season, sources added, attributing it to the soaring international prices.

Speaking to The Hans India, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) Warangal Rural District convener Peddarapu Ramesh, ho himself a farmer, said, "Now, we barely have a week to apply the MOP to paddy and cotton crops. If we fail, it will have an impact on the yield."

Taking advantage of the situation, the traders who have stocks with them escalated the price, he said, blaming the Stage Government for its failure to ensure the MOP and for not keeping a tab on black marketers. As if this was not enough, the traders also increased the prices of other fertilisers, he added. With the erstwhile Warangal district receiving abundant rains, farmers took up cultivation in a whopping 11 lakh acres in this kharif, 10 per cent more than the previous year. Major crops in the district this season: Paddy 3.55 lakh acres, cotton 3.45 lakh acres and maize 1.25 acres.