Shillong, August 27: The Meghalaya Government has tightened restrictions on the entry and use of chemical fertilisers in the State while encouraging farmers to increasingly adopt organic manure, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma informed the Assembly on Thursday.

Sangma was supplementing Agriculture Minister Timothy D. Shira’s reply to a question raised by Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit during the ongoing Autumn Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

The Chief Minister said the Government had restricted the inflow of chemical fertilisers from outside Meghalaya and was promoting the use of organic manure among farmers. He expressed hope that the State would soon emerge as a national leader in the use of organic manure in agricultural fields.

On fertiliser prices, the House was informed that the Government provides a ₹400 subsidy on SSP fertiliser, reducing the effective burden against its stated price of ₹1,200. Urea is available at ₹266 in the market.

The Government has also permitted the sale of chemical fertilisers only at designated locations within the State.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Shira said officials of the Agriculture Department regularly inspect fertiliser outlets to ensure that dealers comply with prescribed norms and prices.

He urged farmers to report any dealer found charging more than the prescribed price, saying the department would take appropriate action against such violations.

The Minister further informed the Assembly that Meghalaya currently has 66 government-recognised fertiliser dealers.