Notices issued to urea retailers

The Agriculture Department has issued notices to a few urea retailers following detection of certain violations in sale.

According to sources, a special team led by Deputy Director, Directorate of Agriculture, Chennai, Amudhan, visited urea retailers in Budalur, Orathanadu and Pattukottai taluks on Tuesday when they found some violations in two shops at Budalur. Warning notices were issued to these shops suspending sale of urea at these outlets and seeking explanations from shopkeepers under provisions of Fertilizer (Control) Order, 1985.

The team also visited Kumbakonam and Thiruvidaimaruthur taluks on Wednesday. They found some discrepancies in the stock position at a cooperative society and in two private outlets. Subsequently, notices seeking an explanation from the outlets were issued and the license holders were informed that necessary action would be initiated against them.

As on date, 5200 tonnes of Urea, 4000 tonnes of DAP, 2900 tonnes of Potash and 4200 tonnes of Complex fertilizer were available for sale at private retail outlets and at Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies in this district.

While cultivation of paddy as summer crop had been taken up on 19985 hectares, ‘kuruvai’ had been taken up on 2765 hectares, ‘chithiraipattam’ pulses on 113 hectares, cotton on 2112 hectares and sugarcane on 4397 hectares in Thanjavur district, sources added.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that shortage of urea had affected farm operations. Urging officials to initiate necessary steps to ensure availability of urea in adequate quantity, the CPI(M) district secretary G. Neelamegam in a petition to Collector M.Govinda Rao demanded immediate resumption of works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

He said that there was severe scarcity of vegetables and groceries in villages and urged the district administration to introduce mobile vending services of essentials in rural pockets. He wanted door delivery of ration goods, face masks and vegetable packs through social activists and government staff.