STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A serious crisis has gripped the farming community across Jammu province in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (JKUT) as not a single bag of essential fertilizers such as DAP, Urea and Potash is available with dealers at the peak of the sowing season in this region.
Former BJP Minister and senior party leader Kumar Sukhnandan Choudhary has raised the issue strongly, demanding immediate intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to ensure timely availability of fertilizers to safeguard the interests of thousands of farmers.
The leader said that sowing season for major winter vegetables and fodder crops is underway, and farmers are facing extreme hardships. Crops like carrot, turnip, cauliflower, knol-khol, cabbage, radish, along with barseen fodder for cattle and buffaloes, all require timely use of fertilizers for better yield. However, the absence of even a single bag of DAP, Urea or Potash in the entire UT has pushed cultivators into distress.
“This is the most crucial time for sowing. If fertilizers are not made available immediately, not only will the vegetable yield drop drastically but also livestock farmers depending on barseen fodder will face scarcity, impacting the entire dairy sector,” the senior BJP leader Kumar Sukhnandan Choudhary warned.
He urged the administration to immediately direct concerned departments to rush adequate stocks of fertilizers to J&K and ensure that every farmer gets the required quantity through authorized dealers without any black-marketing or hoarding.
Highlighting that agriculture and livestock rearing are the backbone of the rural economy, he said the shortage is a matter of grave concern that must be addressed on priority to protect the livelihood of farmers.
Former BJP minister Sukhnandan Choudhary has appealed to LG Manoj Sinha to personally intervene and resolve the shortage without delay so that farmers of Jammu and Kashmir do not suffer losses during the sowing season.