By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to withdraw the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) scheme for fertilisers and reintroduce the earlier system of fixed maximum retail price (MRP) to protect the farming community and ensure food security.
In a letter to the prime minister Tuesday, Jayalalithaa said: “The introduction of the nutrient-based subsidy scheme by the Government of India from April 1, 2010, coupled with an unreliable supply of fertilisers to the state, is indeed threatening to deprive our farmers of their basic means of sustenance andlivelihood.”
According to her, with the introduction of NBS policy, fertiliser manufacturers and importers have increased the retail prices of their products two-three times, causing extreme hardship to the farmers.
She also urged the prime minister to immediately allocate the estimated full requirement of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) to Tamil Nadu.