Farmers are again making a line before the fertilizer counters and seed distribution points in Khammam, thanks to the pre-monsoon showers, which ushered in brisk farm activity all over. Officials claim to have enough stocks to meet the requirement for the entire kharif season, but the farmers are yet to be convinced in view of severe short supply that led to looting of fertilizer godowns in the district last year.
Farmers from Kusumanchi, Palair and Tirumalayapalem were seen in big queues in front of the fertilizer counters in three town areas right from the morning as the distribution was taken up officially on Tuesday. A majority of them are traditional cotton farmers. They are busy with the land preparation activity and they were expected to take up sowing in the second week of June.
The area under cotton is increasing year after year. It was projected to be more than 1.20 lakh hectares this year as against 1.13 lakh hectares last year. The administration had already taken up distribution of fertilizers in all the revenue mandals.
Farmers are, however, thronging the fertilizer outlets at the district headquarters being uncertain of getting the required quantity of DAP and complex fertilizers in time.
A good number of farmers were insisting for 28:28 of the Coromandel Fertilizers Limited (CFL) which was in fact available in limited quantity. The agriculture officials said some 970 metric tonnes of CFL was made available. “We have been propagating the use of other brands of complex fertilizers in the Rythu Chaitanya yatras, but we find it difficult to change the mindset of farmers in villages,” said an official.
He explained that 10,345 tonnes of DAP and complex fertilizers were readily available in the district. The actual requirement for June would be in the order of 6,500 tonnes, but an allotment of 7,500 tonnes was made to the counters as a precautionary measure.
“We have sufficient buffer stocks at the district headquarters. The Markfed alone had a stock of some 4,369 metric tones of DAP and complex fertilizers ready for distribution any time,” said the official. So far as the seed supply was concerned the immediate need was of cotton seed. Some 3.5 lakh packets of cotton seed were ready, he added.
A farmer, Chakradhar from Muttaram village complained that the supply of seeds and fertilizers was not up to the mark.
Farmers from Kusumanchi, Palair and Tirumalayapalem were seen in big queues in front of the fertilizer counters in three town areas right from the morning as the distribution was taken up officially on Tuesday. A majority of them are traditional cotton farmers. They are busy with the land preparation activity and they were expected to take up sowing in the second week of June.
The area under cotton is increasing year after year. It was projected to be more than 1.20 lakh hectares this year as against 1.13 lakh hectares last year. The administration had already taken up distribution of fertilizers in all the revenue mandals.
Farmers are, however, thronging the fertilizer outlets at the district headquarters being uncertain of getting the required quantity of DAP and complex fertilizers in time.
A good number of farmers were insisting for 28:28 of the Coromandel Fertilizers Limited (CFL) which was in fact available in limited quantity. The agriculture officials said some 970 metric tonnes of CFL was made available. “We have been propagating the use of other brands of complex fertilizers in the Rythu Chaitanya yatras, but we find it difficult to change the mindset of farmers in villages,” said an official.
He explained that 10,345 tonnes of DAP and complex fertilizers were readily available in the district. The actual requirement for June would be in the order of 6,500 tonnes, but an allotment of 7,500 tonnes was made to the counters as a precautionary measure.
“We have sufficient buffer stocks at the district headquarters. The Markfed alone had a stock of some 4,369 metric tones of DAP and complex fertilizers ready for distribution any time,” said the official. So far as the seed supply was concerned the immediate need was of cotton seed. Some 3.5 lakh packets of cotton seed were ready, he added.
A farmer, Chakradhar from Muttaram village complained that the supply of seeds and fertilizers was not up to the mark.
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