Farmers, who are still facing acute urea shortage during this ‘pisanam’ paddy season despite the availability of adequate water in dams and irrigation tanks, are now being compelled by companies to buy nano urea along with regular urea.
The farmers complain that the urea, which should be sold at ₹266 per bag, is being sold along with nano urea, which is escalating their cost of agricultural operations. “Since the supply cannot meet the demand in the market, the farmers are forced to buy nano urea along with the urea available with the sellers,” says S. T. Shaik Maideen, a farmer from Vadakarai.
State Marketing Manager of IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative), a supplier of urea, C. Jayaraj told The Hindu that the farmers should gradually switch over to applying nano urea as the traditional granular urea would be replaced in near future due to increased production cost.
He argues that a bag of 50 kg urea is sold at ₹266 while the production cost of 50 kg urea stands at ₹3,750.
“Since the government has to bear the subsidy of ₹3,484 per bag, the farmers will have to switch over to nano urea which is sold at ₹240 per 500 ml. We can understand that there is a hesitation among agriculturists about using nano urea, which will go ultimately as they start using it in the fields,” Mr. Jayaraj hopes.
He says that the application of urea, though it increases chlorophyll in the leaves within three days, pollutes soil, affects earthworms and also causes pest attack. However, application of nano urea, whichis sprinkled on leaves, leads to absorption within three hours and it is utilized during photosynthesis based on the plant’s need besides avoiding pest attack.
“So, nano urea has many advantages and hence we’re selling it along with regular urea which is not available in adequate quantity. The farmers can mitigate this short supply of urea with nano urea,” he says.
However, the farmers argue that spraying of 10 tanks of nano urea per acre would cost them ₹600 and the total cost of application of nano urea per acre would be ₹2,520 (nano urea price plus spraying cost) as it should be applied thrice before harvest.
“If the companies marketing nano urea want to popularise it among the farmers, it should be done properly through the government which can give subsidy to nano urea instead of giving it to urea. If the nano urea is pushed along with urea and if farmers are compelled to buy both the products, it will cause additional expenditure. The farmers will raise the issue of forcible selling of unnecessary products with the Collector concerned,” says farmer P. Perumbadaiyar of CPI.
Agriculture Department officials also admit that the urea was being sold along with nano urea to bridge the gap between supply and demand.
In the midst of this commotion, the district received 2,600 tonnes of urea on Saturday evening, which would be shared among private sellers and the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts.
