Nuapada Reviews Kharif Preparedness; Zero Tolerance for Fertiliser Black Marketing, Says Collector

Nuapada, July 10: A district-level review meeting on the implementation of various agriculture programmes and the progress of the Kharif-2026 season was held at the District Headquarters Conference Hall under the chairmanship of Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash. Reviewing the preparedness for the ongoing Kharif season, the Collector stressed that meeting the genuine needs of farmers is the Agriculture Department’s foremost responsibility. He directed officials to work with sensitivity and commitment to maintain farmers’ confidence in the government’s agricultural support system. Issuing a strong warning against fertiliser malpractice, the Collector stated that the district administration follows a zero-tolerance policy towards black marketing and irregularities in fertiliser distribution. He directed officials to register FIRs immediately and initiate criminal proceedings against anyone found involved in such illegal activities. He also instructed the department to ensure uninterrupted availability of urea and resolve any shortage promptly through effective inter-departmental coordination. Officials informed the meeting that the district has set a target of covering 1,59,970 hectares under crops during the current Kharif season. So far, cultivation has been completed on 13,157 hectares. Against the paddy cultivation target of 93,700 hectares, sowing has been completed on 9,149 hectares. The meeting reviewed fertiliser availability and was informed that against the seasonal requirement of 13,000 metric tonnes of urea, the district has already received 10,050.73 metric tonnes. In addition, 8,713.24 metric tonnes of various fertilisers are currently available in stock, which officials said is sufficient to meet farmers’ requirements. Farmer registration under the department’s database was also reviewed. Out of the target of 1,01,128 farmers, 47,190 farmers have been registered so far, achieving 46 per cent progress. The Collector directed officials to expedite the registration process to ensure that all eligible farmers are covered. The meeting also reviewed the implementation of several flagship agricultural programmes, including Natural Farming over 1,000 hectares, the Shree Anna Mission covering 3,810 hectares, the Chief Minister’s Maize Mission over 640 hectares, and the Cotton Production Enhancement Programme across 1,200 hectares. On the occasion, the Collector felicitated progressive farmers for their outstanding contribution to agriculture. The awardees included Ganesh Shabar (Nuapada Block), Mayadhar Pradhan (Komna Block), Pundarikaksha Kata (Khariar Block), Niranjan Majhi (Boden Block), and Ganeshram Majhi (Sinapali Block). Among those present were Barsha Azad, Assistant Agriculture Officer; Satyabhusan Nag, Block Agriculture Officer, Nuapada; Mohammed Murtuza, Block Agriculture Officer, Khariar; Soudamini Ray, Assistant Agriculture Officer, Tarbod; Dr. Ram Bikash Verma, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, along with agriculture officers from various blocks of the district.