Why is there a shortage of fertilisers in Bihar?


Farmer Dinesh Kumar Singh from Purnea spraying urea in his field | Photo courtesy: Tanzil Asif | Main Media
The issue of shortage of fertilisers in Bihar kept resonating from the winter session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly to the Parliament session last December. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have consistently denied reports of a shortage of fertilisers in the country, while the opposition has been putting the government in the dock over the issue.Â
Urea Available At Double, Triple Rate
Mohammed Shabbir, a farmer from the Purnia district of Bihar, has cultivated maize in five bighas of his land. Shabbir has moved from pillar to post in many markets around his village Belgachhi in Dagarua block, and says fertilisers are not available anywhere. He contends that the private players have exploited this crisis and have started selling fertilisers two times the government rate. For Shabbir’s family of ten members, who depend entirely on agricultural income for their livelihood – this winter has been a dark one.
Last Year Was No Better
Last year too, there was a similar shortage of fertilisers in the Seemanchal region during the rabi crop season. Because of this, Mohammed Shabbir and Dilip Ram’s farm income was reduced to less than half.
Black Marketing Of Fertilisers
Farmers of Narpatganj allege that fertilisers are being black-marketed in broad daylight in the area. Shopkeepers are selling fertilisers at double and triple the market rates from the comforts of their homes. We have been told that shopkeepers in the border areas have been selling fertilisers in Nepal, where fertilisers costing Rs.266 are being sold for up to Rs.1,200. Farmers allege black-marketing as one of the main reasons for fertiliser shortage in their respective villages.
On the other hand, the villagers of Kishanganj, bordering West Bengal, face a different problem. The farmers of these areas depend only on the markets of West Bengal, but many a time, they are forced to pay fines for bringing fertilisers to Bihar from the markets there. In the last winter session of the Parliament, the local MP, Dr Jawed Azad, raised this matter in the Lok Sabha.
Counter Charges
Nano Urea
On the other hand, amidst the shortage of fertilisers, the central government is encouraging farmers to use liquid urea, i.e. ‘nano urea’ made by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO). Recently, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya enumerated many benefits of Nano Urea in Parliament, but the farmers using it claim that they are not satisfied with the outcome.
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