Bhubaneswar: The Opposition BJD has announced a protest near Raj Bhavan on September 15, accusing Odisha’s BJP government of failing to meet farmers’ fertiliser needs. This declaration follows Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s assertion that there is no fertiliser shortage for the ongoing kharif crop season in Odisha. BJD vice-president Sanjay Das Burma and Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik, during a press conference, dismissed the Chief Minister’s statement, claiming the government is misleading the farmers, who make up 70 percent of the state’s population. “We demand the immediate supply of fertiliser to farmers as they urgently need it. Any further delays will negatively impact the kharif crop,” Das Burma stated.
He mentioned that the fertiliser provided by the government is insufficient. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) had previously stated that Odisha requires a total of 955,000 tonnes of fertiliser for the 2025 kharif season, with the entire allocation coming from the Central government. Das Burma argued that the government’s claims of adequate fertiliser stocks are “false,” citing reported shortages in several districts. For example, Ganjam district requested 19,561 metric tonnes but received only 10,640 MT, while Bhadrak needed 6,188 MT and got just 863 MT. Balasore’s demand of 2,600 MT resulted in only 900 MT being supplied, and Angul received 4.954 MT instead of the requested 8,100 MT.
Das Burma highlighted the significant gap between demand and supply across the state, noting that farmers have begun blocking highways to protest the shortage, despite the Chief Minister’s denial of a crisis. Mallik accused the BJP government of a “careless” approach that has exacerbated the fertiliser crisis in Odisha. She mentioned that former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik had reached out to Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers J P Nadda for assistance, but no action has been taken, contributing to the current situation.
Mallik also recalled that the Talcher fertiliser plant’s construction began about seven years ago, with a promise of completion within 36 months, yet it remains non-operational, placing blame on the Centre for the ongoing crisis.
