The Odisha Krushak Mahasangha (OKM) has strongly opposed the Talcher Fertilser Plant revival, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation-stone on Saturday, and suggested that the allocated funds be used for payment of pension to farmers to encourage using bio-fertiliser instead of chemical fertilisers.

“Use of chemical fertilisers decreases the fertility of land and is very expensive. Besides, it is injurious to health. Hence, use of bio-fertiliser needs to be promoted,” said OKM president Bibhudhendra Pratap Das.

He argued that when an acre of land, with use of chemical fertilisers, produces 15 to 20 quintals of paddy that Shreedhan, the same acre of land yields 30 to 35 quintals of paddy when bio fertilser is used.

 Paddy cultivation with use of bio fertiliser is called Shreedhan method and is being undertaken in Nayagarh and some other districts, he said.

Farmers should be encouraged to undertake Shreedhan method of cultivation with payment of monthly pension through insurance companies. If Rs 10,000, which is set to be spent for the Talcher fertiliser renovation plant, is paid as premium to insurance companies, as many 50,000 farmers would get pension of Rs 14,000 per month, pointed out Das.

Stating that he has written to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister for adoption of Shreedhan method of cultivation many times during the last 12 years, Das further argued that a major chunk of Rs 1,30,000, which is paid as subsidy to the fertiliser and pesticide companies by the Union Government, is siphoned off midway and that can be used for providing incentive to farmers for use of bio fertiliser.

He also argued that incidents of farmer suicides will decrease if peasants get an enhanced paddy production by adopting Shreedhar method of cultivation.

He informed that Sumant Kumar, a farmer of Kartrisarai block in Bihar, has made a record in the world by harvesing102 quintals of paddy from an acre of land through Shreedhar method ofcultivation.