Nuapada: Amidst allegations of widespread black marketing of urea by hoarders in Nuapada district, Agricultural Department Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at many places in this district.
A special squad comprising of district agricultural officer Ajay Kumar Senapti, sub-project officer Sudhansu Sekhar Sahoo and assistant agricultural officer Himansu Kumar Mohapatra raided shop in Jampani, Kulihabandha, Bisora, Belatukuri along with many other places to investigate.
The raids will further continue in the foreseeable future, said an officer of Agricultural Department.
Even though the government says it has been supplying adequate quantity of the fertiliser, farmers in some pockets of Nuapada district alleged they were facing a shortage.
The agricultural activities in this district started late but the recent rains have made up for the shortage to a large degree. The farmers need urea to fertilise the soil.
“Whenever we go to retailers to buy urea they turn us down and cite unavailability. This has happened at a time when conditions are appropriate for applying urea,” rued a local farmer here.
It is learnt that about 4,000 metric tonnes of urea has been sanctioned instead of 9,000 metric tonnes that are needed. Farmers say that the delay in agricultural operations due to erratic rainfall requires application of urea to boost plant growth. That said, the limited supply and high demand has resulted in retailers hoarding the stock and selling it at a premium in the black market.
PNN