Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Jan 9: A huge shortage of potash fertilizer which is vital for arecanut farming, has put the arecanut growers of coastal districts in dire straits.

Although, according to the statistics by the agriculture department, the stock is very much available! However, it is not being distributed to the cooperative societies and retailers for reasons best known to the department concerned. The growers are complaining that the fertilizer has not been available for the pats two months.

Sufficient water is required after putting Potash to the arecanut plants and now it is best time to do that work. In summer it is not possible due to water scarcity.

According to Dakshina Kannada agriculture department officials of there is sufficient stock of fertilizers required for crops grown in coastal district. At present the stock of potash being shown is 4220 tonnes. However, the growers have a different story to tell. They are saying that the stock is being shown only on papers but in reality it is not available at all in the market.

Agriculture department officials claim that they have supplied potash to all the 162 fertilizer dealers in the district. Meanwhile, a dealer from Bantwal says that this year since the demand is more there is shortage of potash.

Another issue is that the fertilizer manufacturing companies want the arecanut growers to buy link fertilizers along with potash even if they do not require the same.

The Adyanadka Cooperative Society has received stock of potash but the supplying company insists that the buyers purchase one bag of link fertilizer for every two bags of potash. The farmers of coastal districts say that they do not use link fertilizer as it gets soft quickly.

Deviprasad Punacha, former president of Cooperative Bank of Punacha asserts that potash fertilizer should be supplied directly to the arecanut growers without the middlemen. There should not be any condition that the farmers have to buy the link fertilizer along with potash, he adds. Agriculture department and fertilizer manufacturing companies should take immediate action on this, he demands.