Former chief minister and leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Saturday raised the issue of shortage of fertilisers for farmers and sought the Centre's intervention to immediately streamline the distribution process.

In a letter to the Union minister of chemicals and fertilisers J.P. Nadda, Naveen said: "The farmers of Odisha are now facing a major problem in obtaining urea during this ongoing Kharif season. Short supply of urea, along with its black marketing and adulteration, is a major concern for our farmers now at the start of the Kharif season.”

On Friday, hundreds of farmers hit the streets of Malkangiri demanding the supply of urea.

Naveen said if the issue is not addressed in time, it may cause serious disruption to farm activities, which will impact production and also affect the livelihood of farmers. "The state government claims to have 7.94 lakh tonnes of urea, yet farmers are struggling to get it. Urea is being sold illegally at a higher price than the government-approved rate across Odisha. Markfed, the government's designated distribution agency, is supplying subsidised fertilisers to private traders instead of farmers," he said.

Naveen said: "Despite lower fertiliser use in Odisha, supply chain mismanagement and corruption have pushed our farmers to the edge. Delay in the Talcher fertiliser plant, whose foundation stone was laid in 2018, is also a concern. It was promised to be functional in 36 months, but seven years later it remains nonoperational."

Naveen also stated that the need of the hour was an immediate crackdown on black marketing and punishment for guilty dealers and officials associated with fertiliser distribution through cooperative societies.