AGARTALA, December 28 (TIWN): Saying that there is a shortage of Chemical fertilizers in the North and Eastern states and neighboring Bangladesh the Tripura Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha on Friday during the meeting of Pre-Budget meeting at New Delhi urged the Union Govt. to put their efforts on setting up a urea fertilizer plant in Tripura.

State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation marked its foray into fertilizer segment by tying up with Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals (CFCL) for setting up a urea fertilizer plant at  Damcherra, Tripura. Tripura government has allotted 800 acres of land to set up a Rs. 5000-crore Urea fertiliser plant. An ONGC official earlier said that works for the largest industrial initiative in the State would begin early next year.

The officials also added that the supply of gas to the plant site would be made available from newly discovered Khubal well in the area. However experts are yet to find out a regular source to bring in water to the plant site.

However, but is to be mentioned here that the fertilizer plant at Khubal might become another hurdle for the Jhum cultivators as the urea fertilizers will hamper the production of Jhum at large. As a result hundreds of Jhum cultivators at the area has to live their livelihood without any production and their daily earning from it.

The study of 2012-13 has revealed that the livelihood status of the majority farmers (39.3%) was low, followed by medium (36.4%) and high (24.3%). The area under jhum and the number of family members involved jhum have been found to contribute highest to the variations in livelihood status of tribal people in the region.