Give priority to fertilizer plants in gas Allocation: Lok Satta

By supplying natural gas that is now abundantly available along the Andhra Pradesh coast to fertilizer plants on a priority basis and on subsidy, urea can be supplied to farmers at a reasonable price, said the Lok Satta Party here today.

Talking to media representatives who called on him, Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said there was no alternative to supplying fertilizers on subsidy if farming were to be made remunerative.

Dr. JP suggested that the Government should give urea subsidy directly to farmers instead of fertilizer plants and help them buy other imported nutrients like phosphate and potassium. Farmers should also be encouraged to go in for micro nutrients like zinc and magnesium.

Farmers could be educated in modern agricultural practices if agri-clinics staffed by qualified personnel are set up at the rate of one for every 3000 acres.

Dr. JP demanded that the Government formulate a comprehensive fertilizer policy to promote balanced fertilizer use, since a 10 percent increase in urea price would not solve the problem.