• NET Web Desk

The Meghalaya government today asserted that chemical fertilizers would be available again in the market for farmers in the state at statutorily fixed prices.

According to the Agriculture department commissioner and secretary – Vijay Kumar; fertilizers will be made available at statutorily defined prices (as determined by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) in a controlled manner.

This effort has been undertaken to safeguard the interests of farmers using fertilizers.

He said that the Meghalaya State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers’ Federation Limited (MECOFED) will be lifting the state’s quota of fertilizers from the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for supply to the farmers at statutorily fixed prices.

Its worthy to note that the Meghalaya Agriculture department on June 2014, discontinued a fertilizer-distribution scheme and established a long-term groundwork for organic farming, with the goal of reducing the detrimental effects of chemical fertilizers on human life and the environment.

Despite the stoppage of subsidy in 2014, many farmers continued to use chemical fertilizers like Urea, DAP, MOP and SSP; informed Kumar.

“The usage of fertilizers is seen as essential for maintaining the higher productivity of crops like potato, tomato, cabbage and cauliflower that are extensively cultivated in the state,” he said.

The senior official remarked that the 2014 order also resulted in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers not allocating fertilizers for the state and this resulted in black marketing for fertilizers with farmers having to pay two to three times more than the normal regulated price.

“Today’s order, however, did not provide subsidies for farmers but certain areas would be notified for controlled use of fertilizers,” he said.