Farmers cannot bear any more increase in the price of fertilizers, according to Madurai District Farmers’ Association.
In an appeal to the Centre, the association president, M. Pandian, said, “Farmers are already frustrated with prices which have increased phenomenally in the last two decades. Any further increase will only force us to give up farming,” he said.
The Centre must give up the move to increase prices of fertilizers taking into account the situation of food production of the country.
Mr. Pandian said that the farmers had made India self-sufficient despite natural disasters, fall in prices of agricultural produce and increase in prices of farm inputs.
He pointed out that a bag of 50 kg of urea which was selling at Rs. 121.50 in 1990 had gone up to Rs. 251.16 in 2008. Similarly, the price of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) which was sold for Rs. 148.98 in 1990 touched Rs. 486.20 in 2008. The price of super phosphate rose to Rs. 210 in the same period from Rs. 49. The price of other fertilizers had also gone up manifold.
