Farmers protest across Telangana over acute urea shortage

Farmers across Telangana, including Gadwal, Sircilla, Warangal and Mahabubabad, staged protests against urea shortages disrupting Kharif sowing. Road blockades, dharnas and scuffles were reported, with BRS leaders blaming the Congress government for mismanagement and farmers warning of major crop losses.

Hyderabad: Farmers in many districts of Telangana, including Jogulamba Gadwal, Rajanna Sircilla, Warangal and Mahabubabad, continued to take to the streets to protest a severe shortage of urea, a critical fertiliser for their crops. The protests were marked by road blockades and dharnas in multiple places.

In Jogulamba Gadwal, farmers staged a dharna on Wednesday in front of the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) office, blocking the main road and halting traffic. The protest was triggered by the unavailability of urea. Farmers alleged that officials were misleading them for four days, promising required supplies that never arrive.

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BRS leader Hanumanthu Naidu joined the farmers in solidarity and criticised the Congress government for failing to ensure fertiliser availability. He said no such shortages were experienced during the BRS government. Naidu warned of larger protests if the government did not address the issue promptly. Following discussions with police and assurances from agricultural officials that urgent measures would be taken, the farmers dispersed.

In Rajanna Sircilla, farmers in Boppapur village, Ellareddipet mandal, voiced concern over insufficient urea supplies, with only 240 bags allocated for the entire village. They stopped a delivery truck, demanding the entire load be distributed locally.

In other mandals like Chandurthi and Illanthakunta, farmers reported spending hours at PACS centres for urea deliveries. They often resorted to placing footwear in queues to reserve spots due to limited stock. BRS leader Chalmeda Laxminarsimha Rao accused the Congress government of poor planning, warning of intensified protests if the situation persisted. In Warangal, farmers in Budharaopet, Khanapur mandal, under the Narsampet constituency, staged a road blockade to demand urea.

Former MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy joined the protest and blamed the Congress government’s mismanagement for the crisis. He highlighted the desperation of farmers who have been queuing for days, often returning empty-handed. In Mahabubabad, the situation was equally dire. In Nellikudur mandal, farmers lined up from 5 a.m. at the local society centre, braving rain to secure urea bags, with many placing slippers in queues to hold their spots.

At Thorrur mandal, protests erupted over allegations of official negligence. It was alleged that passbooks and Aadhaar copies placed by the farmers in the queuelinse were discarded in a bathroom by PACS staff.

In one incident, a scuffle broke out in Medipalli, Nallabelly mandal of Warangal district, during urea distribution, leaving one farmer slightly injured.

The local BRS leaders accused the Congress government of creating an artificial shortage and enabling black marketing. BRS leaders have demanded immediate action to ensure adequate urea distribution.

The urea shortage has disrupted Kharif sowing, particularly for paddy and maize as farmers are facing delays that threaten crop yields.