Trichy: With samba paddy cultivation under way in the delta districts, farmers have been hit by the sharp rise in prices of fertilizers. Farmers from these districts have appealed to the state government to enhance the procurement price of paddy too on par with the price of fertilizers sold in the open market.According to the agriculture department, paddy is expected to be raised on about 2.95 lakh acres in Tiruvarur district, 3 lakh acres in Nagapattinam and a total of 3.45 lakh acres in Thanjavur district including through direct sowing.Since there was a conducive weather condition, good storage at the Stanley reservoir and widespread rain over the past few days, farmers are hopeful of a good yield. However, they are now worried over the rise in input price, particularly the sharp rise in prices of fertilizers. Except for urea, the prices of all other fertilizers have steadily increased ranging from Rs 45 to Rs 250. Moreover, fertilizer prices also differ from one company to another, they said.The increase in fertilizer prices has pushed up the cost of cultivation further. However, the procurement price of paddy had not increased correspondingly and farmers could face losses, Tiruvarur district secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to CPI, P S Masilamani, alleged.“When the fertilizer companies are allowed to fix the price on their own, the government should increase the procurement price accordingly. The Union government had enhanced it to Rs 200 per quintal this year. That should further be enhanced in such a way as to compensate input costs such as fertilizer”, he said.District collector K Rajamani said in a statement that the rise in the cost of imported raw materials for phosphatic fertilizers had caused the price rise. However, old stocks would be sold only as per the price printed on the bags, he stated.

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