Farmers fear urea loss as heavy rains lash Telangana

Farmers across Telangana, already struggling with urea shortages, now fear their fertiliser may be washed away due to continuous rains. Agriculture officials warned of nitrogen loss in waterlogged fields, while farmers staged protests and issued sarcastic appeals on social media

Hyderabad: Struggling to secure a bag of urea amid shortages, farmers across several districts are now worried that the fertiliser applied to their fields may be washed away by the heavy rains lashing the State for the past few days.

Braving showers, standing in long queues at Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies and even staging protests on roads, farmers have been battling hard to procure sufficient urea this season. After all this struggle, they now fear their efforts may go in vain as the rains continue.

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Depending on soil fertility and the crop, different doses of urea are prescribed. For instance, one acre of cotton requires about 100 to 120 kg, while paddy needs 60 to 80 kg.

Agriculture Extension Officers explained that during heavy rains and flooding, nitrogen tends to seep deep into the soil, rendering the urea ineffective. “All the efforts put in by farmers in sowing seeds and applying urea for high yield may go waste,” one officer said.

This season, each 50 kg bag of urea is priced at Rs 360. If rains persist or fields remain flooded, the losses for farmers could be severe, the officer added.

At Rajapur in Dharoor mandal of Vikarabad, cotton fields lay submerged under sheets of water, with a similar situation reported at Mominkalan. Turmeric farmers too complained of suffering losses due to the downpour.

A farmer’s sarcastic appeal to poet Ande Sri

After poet Ande Sri showered praises on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for “stopping” the rains, a farmer released a sarcastic video appeal directed at the poet.

In the clip circulating on social media, the farmer is heard saying:
“Ande Sri garu, we have used urea in our fields and there is a heavy rain forecast. If it rains, the urea will get washed away. Please appeal to Revanth anna to stop the rains as he stopped them for the slab laying work of your house…”