Farmers’ struggles for urea continue across Telangana

Farmers across Telangana are facing severe urea shortages, with many waiting overnight at PACS centres. Women farmers too joined the queues, expressing anger at the government. The crisis sparked BRS protests, arrests, and rising tensions in several districts.

Hyderabad: Standing in serpentine queues and even sleeping overnight at Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), farmers across the State continue to face severe hardships in their struggle to obtain urea.

At many places, women farmers too were seen waiting in long queues and expressing anger at the State government for its failure to resolve the crisis.

In Jogulamba Gadwal district, several women farmers waited for hours at the PACS, and many squatted on the floor out of exhaustion. “In the last 10 years, we have not faced such hardships. We used to get sufficient urea without standing in queues. But this season, despite waiting for hours, there is no guarantee of getting urea,” Govindamma, a farmer, said.

Similar scenes were reported at PACS in Hanwada, Mahabubnagar district, and Mattampally in Suryapet district, where farmers had been standing in queues since early morning.

The shortage also triggered protests. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders staged a Rasta Roko on the Tandur–Mahabubnagar road, raising slogans against the Congress government and demanding immediate supply of urea to farmers.

Tension prevailed at Madhuranagar chowrastha in Choppadandi constituency when police attempted to stop BRS activists from staging protests. Former Choppadandi MLA Ravishankar was taken into custody.

“Moved by the plight of farmers, we are fighting on their behalf and demanding the Congress government to supply urea. But the police are arresting us for raising farmers’ issues,” Ravishankar said.