Telangana: Farmers complain about spurious urea being sold in Nagarkurnool

Farmers in the district staged a protest at the Collectorate on Monday, alleging spurious fertiliser was being sold at inflated prices. They exposed mismatched bags of urea in public, accused traders of black marketing, and demanded strict action against those responsible

Nagarkurnool: After struggling to procure urea, farmers in the district are now alleging that spurious fertiliser is being sold to them at inflated prices.

Farmers staged a protest at the District Collector’s office on Monday, demanding strict action against officials and traders involved.

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A farmer, Kashanna, said he had purchased 28:28:0 fertilizer from Nagarjuna Fertilizers in the district but was shocked to find that the bag actually contained 20:20:13 fertilizer.

“It is just 20 urea variety flour. A bag, which had to be sold for Rs 1,300, is being sold for Rs 1,850 in black. About 20 such bags have been identified in our village,” Kashanna said in a video that is circulating on social media.

Farmers alleged that when they raised the issue with the trader, he asked them to return the bags, claiming it was a mix-up. “It is by mistake, the bags got changed easily. How can the urea flour get packed in bags?” the farmer questioned, pointing to variations in bag weight.

At the Collectorate, the farmers opened both varieties in public. Although the bag label mentioned 28:28:0, it was found that 20:20:0 variety was packed inside.

Over the past few weeks, several such complaints have surfaced in the district, with farmers alleging that they were being supplied with spurious urea. Some also claimed that they were being threatened not to lodge complaints or speak to the media.

The farmers further alleged that while sufficient stock was available in the black market, they were still being forced to stand in long queues at Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS).