In order to keep prices of the plant nutrients at affordable levels so as to protect interest of farmers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look into the fertilizer pricing policy. In a letter to the Prime Minister which was mainly with reference to small and marginal farmers who constitute 95% of cultivable land in West Bengal, Banerjee believes that Government should play a bigger role in controlling fertilizer prices.
Mamata Banerjee stated that over the last two years the rate of escalation in fertilizer prices has been in range of 116% to 277%, excluding the case of urea. Drawing his attention to the steep increase in fertilizer prices, Banerjee in written communication cited that the price of Murate of Potash (MOP) has increased by about 50% while the price of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) and Boronated SSP has increased by about 30% and by 25% respectively.
The steep increase in fertilizer prices will increase the cost of production sharply as fertilizer is critical input for agriculture production. This in-turn will affect the livelihood of farmers making agriculture production un-remunerative. It will also encourage unbalanced use of nutrients, thereby affecting the agricultural production as a whole.