By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday asked the central government to maintain a constant price of fertilisers to protect the farmers from exploitation.
“There has been a sudden spurt in the prices of fertilisers, specifically of de-controlled phosphatic and potassic fertilisers,” Patnaik said in a letter to Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister M.K.Alagiri.
“The prices are also changing very frequently resulting in a chaotic situation in the field,” he said in the letter.
“The farmers are facing difficulty in ascertaining the prices of fertilisers. As a result, unscrupulous dealers are taking advantage of the situation and exploiting the farmers,” he said.
Patnaik asked the government to take steps to maintain a constant price of fertilisers for at least a particular cropping season instead of leaving it completely to the mercy of the market forces.