An acute shortage of fertilizers has put the state’s farmers in distress. Fertilizers such as urea, potassium salt (MoP), phosphate fertilizers, and compound fertilizers that are various combinations of over three have been in short supply in the past two weeks.
According to figures from the Department of Agriculture, the central allocation of diammonium phosphate, popularly known as DAP, to the state in September was 2,600 tons. But the state only has 500 tons by September 12th. DAP is a preferred fertilizer because it contains both nitrogen and phosphorus, which are part of 18 essential phytonutrients. The potash and urea allotments were 12,500 tons and 13,400 tons, respectively, but the state received only 2,891 tons and 1,470 tons, respectively.
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (NPK) (complex fertilizer) delivery was 4,753 tons versus 14,200 tons, sources from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
“This is the time to feed the coffee harvest in Wayanad and Idukki with post-monsoon fertilizers, but many farmers have yet to do so due to the lack of MoP, potash and urea,” said Prasanth Rajesh, president of Wayanad Coffee Growers Association.
“Yield decline likely”
Potash is an important part of nutrient management on farms. Any delay in the application of fertilizers affects the health of the coffee plants and can lead to a decline in yield, he adds.
“Soil erosion after a severe monsoon resulted in nutrient deficiencies in the soil. It can be remedied to some extent by the application of fertilizers. The lack of fertilizers will affect crops like rice, pepper, plantain, ginger, rubber and cardamom, â€says K. Mathai, a planter at Thamarassery.
‘Incorrect records’
The delay in shipping fertilizers from abroad is the main reason for the shortage in the market. In addition, sometimes inventory exhaustion is not on record as some traders do not operate the PoS machine properly when selling fertilizers. With stocks intact on the records, officials are further delaying fertilizer sourcing. The issue is expected to be resolved in the first week of October once the next shipment hits the country, sources said.
Role of business
“Sometimes fertilizer manufacturers force us to buy high-priced compound fertilizers to get a meager amount of urea, an important fertilizer,” said C. Raveendran, president of the Fertilizer Dealers’ Association, Wayanad. “As a result, traders are forced to purchase small quantities of nitrogen fertilizers such as urea, which in turn leads to their shortages,†he adds.
