Closure of the production units of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL) at Namrup has soared the prices of urea in the black market in tea belt of Assam affecting the tea growers ahead of the peak season.
Different tea planters organizations as well as traders rued the closure of the lone producing unit of the state owned BVFCL last month and said that they had to procure the urea, a vital nutrient of the tea bushes, at higher prices in the black market.
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“Urea is a must for the tea gardens. The production of the BVFCL had been reducing for a long time. However, it was supplying urea to us from the lone producing unit. But it also got closed due to a blast last month adding to the problem,” said a planter based in Biswanath district on Saturday.
He said that the price of one bag of urea which used by the sold at Rs. 266 by the BVFCL had gone up to Rs. 460 at times in the black market.
“IT is affecting the tea garden severely. While some large gardens has stored urea, most of the small tea growers had suffered during the current season,” he said adding it has increased the production cost but the planters cannot enhance the price of the leaf.
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It may be mentioned here that on Saturday BVFCL has placed a rake of Urea in Tinsukia.
Taking wrong advantage of the crisis situation someone in the company had allocated urea to many dealers in the highest possible unfair way and followed no protocol.