Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Monday chaired a high-level coordination meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan to review fertilizer supply and distribution across Odisha. He directed officials to ensure seamless coordination in the supply chain, stock management, and distribution so that farmers receive fertilizers as per their needs.
Officials informed that 11.15 lakh metric tons of fertilizers have been made available in the state this year, out of which 8.67 lakh metric tons have already been sold — marking a record in fertilizer availability and distribution. The increased demand has been attributed to favourable monsoon rains, especially benefiting paddy cultivation.
To ensure uninterrupted supply, the Agriculture Department in collaboration with the Cooperation Department has made arrangements for advance procurement (pre-positioning) of fertilizers from MARKFED and their distribution through Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS). District Collectors have been instructed to convene regular review meetings with Agriculture Department officials, MARKFED, and PACS for smooth delivery.
The Chief Secretary also emphasized coordination with railway and road transport authorities for timely transportation of fertilizers to the state. Meanwhile, strict enforcement measures have been put in place to prevent artificial shortages and black marketing.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department; Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Cooperation Department; Registrar of Cooperative Societies Siddharth Das; Managing Director of MARKFED; and senior officials from the Agriculture Department.
