Nalgonda: Farmers buying urea paying more

Farmers failing the get adequate supplies on time are buying it from private outlets and the greedy traders have been cashing in on the spurt in the demand.

Nalgonda: As the paddy transplantation started picking up pace with the release of water to the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal system, the demand for urea has shot up in a big way in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri Bhongir districts. Paddy crop needs a lot of urea, especially during the initial stages. Farmers failing the get adequate supplies on time are buying it from private outlets and the greedy traders have been cashing in on the spurt in the demand. Urea is being provided by the government supply network at Rs 266 per bag (50 kgs). The same is costing over Rs 300 to Rs 325 from private outlets in the villages.

The paddy area during kharif is expected to be more than 5.10 lakh acres in Nalgonda district. Paddy crop is expected to cover over 4.50 lakh acres in Suryapet and 2.80 lakh acres in Yadadri Bhongir districts. The urea requirement for the paddy cop alone is estimated to be over 1.6 lakh tonnes in the three districts. Though the government has been assuring of adequate supplies, farmers have been experiencing short supply in the peak season. Over 85,000 metric tonnes of urea was made readily available in the three districts. Unless the supply was streamlined, the paddy farmers are likely to pay a big price.

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