A sharp hike in fertilizer prices and its shortage have put the State’s farm community in distress.
Farmers are concerned that the price of muriate of potash (MOP) has gone through the roof and the nitrogen fertilizer urea is in short supply.
The price of MOP on Saturday at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad was ₹950 (50 kg a bag) a bag as against ₹700 a few weeks ago. The price of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers such as 16:16:16 has gone up from ₹940 a bag to ₹1,085 and 18:18:18 from ₹1,060 to ₹1,195.
“Factamfos 20:20:0:13, an ammonium phosphate sulphate fertilizer, a favourite among farmers, has not been available in some parts of the Stae for many months,” says Benny Joseph, secretary, Fertilisers Dealers Association, Wayanad.
This is the time to apply post-monsoon fertilizers to coffee but many farmers are yet to do so owing to the sudden spurt in prices of MOP and MOP-contained fertilizers and the dearth of urea, says Prasanth Rajesh, president, Wayanad Coffee Growers Association.
Pottash is a major component in the nutrient management of farms. Any delay in applying fertilizers will affect the health of coffee plants and may lead to a fall in yield, he says.
Fourth dose
“This is the time to apply the fourth dose of fertilizers to ginger rhizomes,” says Navrang Mohanan, secretary, All India Ginger Growers Association. Many farmers in Karnataka and Kerala are not able to apply the same owing to the higher price and shortage, he says.
“Soil erosion owing to the heavy monsoon also caused nutrient deficiency in soil. It can be rectified to a certain extent by applying fertilizers. But the heavy price and shortage of fertilizers will have an impact on crops such as rice, pepper, plantain, ginger, rubber, and cardamom,” P.N. Sudhakara Swami, leader of the Haritha Sena, said.
However, sources in the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers attributed the rise in MOP prices to the spurt in price in international market, from $240 to $290 a tonne. Moreover, the Ministry has regulated the price of urea but it does not do so in the case of potash and phosphate fertilizers.
The recent depreciation of rupee against dollar was also a factor in the rise in prices of fertilizers, they said.
The increased demand for urea during the Kharif season was the major reason for the shortage of the fertilizer in the State, market sources said. The issue may be sorted out in a fortnight, they added.
