DHARWAD
The Agriculture Department has clarified that there is no shortage of fertilisers and urged farmers to be cautious about purchasing spurious seeds and fertilisers that could harm their crops. Joint Director of Agriculture, Manjunath Antaravalli, warned that some unscrupulous companies might sell fake products, leading to crop damage. He advised farmers to buy seeds and fertilisers only from government outlets or vendors with ISO certification.
To curb black marketing and ensure quality, vigilance teams have been formed to conduct surprise inspections of private seeds and fertiliser shops. Shops found cheating farmers will face strict action, including seizure of their trade licenses.
With monsoon rains receding, sowing has started in several areas, with green gram emerging as the preferred short-term crop. The department aims to cover over one lakh hectares under green gram kharif sowing. Dharwad district has received promising rainfall of 221.4mm, almost double the average of 113.3mm, boosting agricultural activity.
Currently, 31 distribution centres have supplied 3,679.3 quintals of seeds under subsidy, with a stock of 4,751.7 quintals still available. Antaravalli emphasized the importance of balanced fertilisation; while farmers mostly rely on urea and DAP for nitrogen and phosphorus, potash is also crucial to enhance drought resistance, disease immunity, and grain weight but is often overlooked.
BOX
The district’s total fertiliser requirement for monsoon crops is 49,471.1 metric tonnes, with 37,476.1 metric tonnes already supplied. So far, 19,567.8 metric tonnes have been sold, leaving 17,908.2 metric tonnes in stock, said the Joint Director of Agriculture.