The issue of not getting urea by farmers at the right time when they are required occurs every year despite the fact that farmers have launched various forms of democratic agitations, LOUSAL stated in a release.

To prevent these issues in the future, the state government should form an enquiry committee during the upcoming 13th Manipur Legislative Assembly session, LOUSAL stated. The matter must be investigated and the report must be put on the public domain, it added.

It claimed that with the increase of poppy cultivation, it has become an open secret that large quantities of urea would be diverted for use at the plantation site. Therefore, the state government should disclose the amount of urea used in poppy cultivation in the said inquiry report, LOUSAL stated.

Based on the report, the state government should formulate a farmers friendly urea distribution policy, it stated.

On realising that the rain-fed agricultural practices or mono-cropping lead to food insecurity, the Central government launched various irrigation schemes or projects to adopt double and triple cropping, LOUSAL stated. But in the state of Manipur, farmers are deprived of many basic needs required in farming, it added.

The farmers of the state have been facing lack of proper irrigation facilities. On top of this, the non-availability of urea has become another plaguing issue that surfaces every year, LOUSAL state. Both problems have compelled the farmers to spend double expenditure, it further stated, adding that the double farmers’ income by 2022 is an impossible dream for farmers of state.

LOUSAL pointed out that total agricultural land of the state is 1,95,000 hectares, of which 88,820 hectares are in hill areas and 5,000 hectares are used by Manipur Organic Mission Agency. After these areas are shared, the remaining portion of the land left is 1,01,180 hectares, of which, 2,000 hectares of land has been inundated and no need to use urea, it stated. Hence the total hectare of land that requires urea is 81,180, it added.

It continued that according to directions from the department of Agriculture, a farmer should use three bags of urea weighing 45 kg in one hectare of land. Based on this calculation, the total amount of such bags required in the state is 2,43,000 whereas, the central government has allotted 4,40,000 such bags, it stated.

“The urea must be surely utilised in poppy cultivation. There is an increasing poppy cultivation in many areas such as Churachandpur, Sugunu,  Yairipok, Litan, Saikhul, Sanakeithel, Koubru, Leimaram, Keithelmanbi and so on,” LOUSAL stated.

To resolve the issue and bring some sustainable solution, the state government should form the said inquiry committee without fail, it added.