Bhubaneswar, Sep 1: The Odisha government on Monday directed officials to strengthen coordination across departments and streamline the fertiliser supply chain. The move comes amid reports of shortages and protests in several districts during the peak of the Kharif season, officials said.

Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja chaired a high-level meeting on Monday, instructing district collectors to ensure timely and adequate distribution of fertilisers to farmers. He emphasized the need for proactive monitoring and coordination between the Agriculture Department, MARKFED, and local cooperative societies to prevent disruptions.

The directive follows recent enforcement actions taken by the state government, which included the closure of 30 fertiliser shops and suspension of 62 dealer licenses for violations under the Fertiliser Control Order, 1985. Surprise inspections across 4,546 retail outlets led to the seizure of stock from six dealers and issuance of show-cause notices to over 1,200 retailers.

Despite the unrest, the government maintains that fertiliser availability remains sufficient. As of August 30, Odisha had received 8.10 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers, bringing total availability to 11.04 lakh metric tonnes. Of this, 8.46 lakh metric tonnes have already been sold to farmers, with 2.56 lakh metric tonnes still in stock and 11,692 metric tonnes of urea in transit.

Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo is personally overseeing the supply chain, while Principal Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee remains in constant communication with the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers to ensure smooth delivery.

The state has urged farmers to ignore misinformation and assured them of regulated pricing and uninterrupted supply. With a crop plan covering 58.50 lakh hectares, the government is working to stabilize the situation and support agricultural productivity.