HP blames Centre for shortage of fertilisers

Shimla, Nov 21 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Department today held the Central Government responsible for the shortage of fertilsers in the state.

A spokesman of the Agriculture Department said here today that non-availability of fertilisers was due to the non-allotment of indented quantity of complex fertilisers by the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.

He said that the fertiliser requirement was assessed jointly by the HIMFED and the department of Agriculture well before the crop season and communicated to the Centre for making allotment. However, despite repeated requests of the State Government to the Ministry of Fertilizers and Chemicals from time to time, no additional allocation had been made, he said.

He said that there was a deficit in allotment of fertilisers to the extent of 2500 MT in October and 6800 MT for November.

The spokesman further said that shortage of fertilisers in the state was purely on account of less allotment made by the Central Government to the state as compared to the requirement.

He said that the state government had been taking up the matter with the concerned Ministry from time to time to get the required allocation at the earliest.

UNI XC PS MMS1845