In the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Maharashtra's government is in contact with the Centre to guarantee that chemical fertilisers are not in short supply, said Agricultural Minister Dadaji Bhuse in the state legislature on Monday. He acknowledged that raw material prices are growing as a result of the war, which is causing anxiety at the national level. "On this subject, the Maharashtra Government has been in contact with the Centre for the past month," he said.
"We are in contact with the Centre to ensure that chemical fertilisers are not in limited supply or that their prices do not rise shortly. Chemical fertilisers have been in low supply in various parts of the country recently "he stated However, he told the House that such a situation did not exist in Maharashtra, except in a few spots, because the state had previously built-up buffer stock.
Bhuse's declaration comes as the state's farmers suffer as a result of a sharp increase in the price of fertilisers and pesticides, which are essential imports from Russia and Ukraine. In 2021, for example, Russia alone imported almost 2 million tonnes of ammonia. This has resulted in a fertiliser scarcity, resulting in greater expenses and uncertainty for farmers.
According to the Fertiliser Department, India produced 368.2 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers in the current fiscal year up to January 2022, a 0.5 percent decrease from the previous fiscal year's production. To meet local demand, India has to import 141.6 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers in the current fiscal year, which runs until January 2022.
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