‘Ensure proper supply of NPK and bring down the price of fertilisers’
Kolkata: Bengal Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay raised the issue of the increase in price of fertilisers and the “inadequate supply” of NPK variety of fertiliser, which is widely used by farmers in the state for potato cultivation, during a meeting chaired by Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday.
Chouhan reviewed various schemes with agriculture ministers across the states seeking their suggestions ahead of the Union budget.
Chattopadhayay, who along with Principal Secretary Onkar Singh Meena and other senior officials, was virtually present in the meeting from Nabanna brought it to the Union minister’s notice that in 2021, “5.4 lakh metric tonne (MT) of NPK was supplied by the Centre which has dropped to only 1.27 lakh MT this year”.
“I have urged (the Centre) to ensure proper supply of NPK and bring down the price of potassium and phosphate fertilisers for the larger interest of farmers,” he said.
The state minister pointed out that the Centre has suggested measures like setting up of research centres for advancement of agriculture. “I have made it clear that out of Rs 2,800 crore budget for agriculture in Bengal only 5 per cent comes from the Centre for implementation of various schemes. If the share of the Centre is not increased then, such tall talks about advancement in agriculture will be a far cry,” he said.
He further urged the Union minister to accept economist MS Swaminathan’s recommendation that MSP (minimum support price) should be made a statutory minimum price for the benefit of farmers.
Highlighting the achievements in the agriculture sector in Bengal due to the thrust by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he reiterated that the state is at the top when it comes to farmers’ income in the country.
The state minister in the meeting spoke about the Krishak Bandhu and Bangla Shasya Bima (crop insurance) schemes in which the entire premium amount is borne by the state government, terming them revolutions for the betterment of farmers’ condition in Bengal. “Even the share-croppers get benefits of these two schemes,” he added.
