Urea shortage makes farmers restive, threatens Kharif output in Telangana
Telangana faces a critical urea shortage during the peak Kharif season, with less than half of the required fertilizer supplied. Farmers are being rationed and forced into black market purchases. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka report similar deficits and protests.
Hyderabad: A critical shortage of urea during the peak Kharif sowing period has raised concerns among farmers across Telangana. The fertilizer deficit is likely to pose challenges to agricultural productivity. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are also grappling with supply constraints. The short supply has also triggered fears of lower crop yields.
Telangana requires 10.48 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of urea for the current season. However, only 4.50 LMT were supplied between April and July against the allocated 9.80 LMT. With nearly 5.30 LMT still pending and only 1.20 LMT in stock, farmers face rationing, limited to two bags each through Aadhaar verification.
Official agencies monitoring the supply are now asking for not only Aadhar cards but even Pattadar passbooks for verification. The State government is alleging gaps in Centre’s handling of the supply lines. It has been demanding the urgent release of backlogged and current quotas. The situation is also seeing farmers complaining of inflated prices and bundled sales by private vendors.
Districts like Warangal, Khammam and Mahabubnagar have seen long queues outside Rythu Seva Kendras, with some farmers returning empty-handed. The Centre has claimed to have supplied 22.15 LMT of urea to the State and sparked controversy. Telangana officials clarified that only 4.50 LMT of that was urea.
Paddy transplantation in the SRSP Stage II ayacut is yet to pick up. Once water is released, the demand for urea will go up further. Urea application within three weeks of paddy transplantation would give best results. Urea is available in the black market but for those prepared to pay Rs 100 more per bag, says K V N L Narasimha Rao, a farmer from Nelakondapalli village near Kodad. Nano urea is available, but farmers are not familiar with its application, he added.
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are also affected by urea shortage this year. Andhra Pradesh received only 49,485 metric tonnes of its July allocation of 1.30 LMT, resulting in hoarding and panic buying. In Karnataka, only 5.16 LMT of the required 11.17 LMT were delivered, forcing black-market purchases at nearly double the official price.
Experts warn of a 10–15% drop in yields if the urea scarcity is not addressed in time. The delay in fertilizer supply poses a direct threat to food security, especially for paddy, maize and cotton crops. Farmers
- Telangana needs 2 lakh MT of urea in August
- Rationing and protests escalate due to inadequate supply
- Andhra and Karnataka also report similar shortages
- Potential 10–15 per cent crop yield loss feared
