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RAJSHAHI, Mar 18: The Irri-Boro farming in the district is unlikely to achieve target due to use of adulterated fertilisers and insecticides by the farmers in their fields.
The farmers of Tanore, Godagari and Mohanpur upazilas of the district have complained that some dishonest fertiliser dealers are selling low- quality and adulterated fertiliser and insecticides to them. By applying those fertilisers and insecticides in the fields, they are damaging their crops.
According to a reliable source, adulterated SSP fertiliser is being produced in many rural areas by some dishonest people by mixing of brick-particles, urea and some quantity of SSP. In some places the SSP fertiliser is being produced by mixing dynamic powder and gypsum.
A bag of such adulterated SSP fertiliser costs taka 70 to 85 to produce but those bags are being sold at Taka 300 to 350 each to the innocent farmers whereas the actual cost of a bag of non-adulterated fertiliser is Taka 700 to 750 in the local markets. The farmers are being deceived by purchasing adulterated SSP which looks the same as the brand SSP fertiliser.
Moreover, the price of SSP fertiliser being high in the local markets, the smugglers are brining low quality SSP fertilisers from across the border and selling those at various 'hats' and markets of the district at an exorbitant price.
Not only SSP but also smuggled, adulterated urea, postash fertiliser have flooded the local markets. The farmers are being cheated by purchasing various brands of insecticides also.
An insecticide called vegimax supplied to local dealers by the insecticide agents have proved useless and adulterated. The farmers said, the dealers supplied them Vegimax for applying to crops and vegetables for controlling insects and producing vitamin in the plants.
Professor Craig A. Meisner, an internationally reputed agro-scientist of Cornell University, USA, while talking with this correspondent at a seminar on wheat farming held here recently, said plants themselves produce vitamin and there is no need for applying vegimax at all.
He said vegimax is being produced by some unidentified manufacturers in the country by using molasses and coloured water. A bottle of vegimax is being sold to the farmers at a cost of Taka 185 which they are applying on half a bigha of land. But it has no utility and the farmers are being deceived by purchasing the vegemax, said Professor Craig A. Meisner.
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