Ministries to discuss Assam muriate scarcity

GUWAHATI: The Union commerce ministry has decided to take up the issue of scarcity of the muriate of potash (MoP) in Assam tea gardens with the ministry of chemical and fertilizers.

Union minister of state for commerce, Jairam Ramesh who was in Guwahati recently told ET, “I will take it up with the fertilizer ministry the issue of short supply of MoP.”

Tea board executive director Chandrajit Saikia said, “We have apprised the tea board about the crisis of fertilizers in Assam. The board has informed the commerce ministry about the situation here.” He further added, “I am told that two rakes of MoP have been moved to the state to tide over the crisis.”

Assam Tea Planters Association (ATPA) chairman Raj Baruah said, “We are informed that by March this year, we will be getting at least six rakes of MoP.”

A source in the tea industry stated, “Assam did not get its allotted quota of MoP this year. The state requires 32,000 metric tonne of MoP annually. Nearly 80% of the MoP is imported from outside the country and tea industry in Assam consumes around 80 to 85% of the total MoP supplied to the state.”

He added, earlier the cost of per metric tonne of MoP was around Rs 4,700, but now due to paucity it costs around Rs 10,000 in the grey market.

The crisis has hit hard both the small tea growers and the big estates. Production is likely to suffer in the coming season due to non-availability of fertilizers. The MoP is generally applied during the rabi season (October to March) for water retention, the source said.