Farmers across Telangana protest amid severe urea shortage crisis

A severe urea shortage has triggered widespread protests across Telangana, with farmers blocking roads, staging demonstrations, and expressing despair over government inaction. From Narayanpet to Kamareddy, incidents range from a woman collapsing in a fertilizer queue to farmers burning symbolic fires in protest.

Hyderabad: Protests ranging from road blockades to violent demonstrations are the order of the day across the state as farmers voice their frustration against what they describe as governmental mismanagement of fertilizer supplies during crucial Kharif operations. The urea shortage has become acute, leaving farmers struggling to secure the essential fertilizer for their crops. Many of them, finding it difficult to secure even a single bag, allege that the Congress-led state government has failed to address the crisis effectively.

Narayanpet district: Woman Farmer Collapses in Queue

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In Tileru village of Narayanpet district, tensions escalated at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) center as farmers staged a ‘rasta roko’ to demand urea. The situation turned dire when Mannemma, a woman farmer, collapsed while waiting in a long queue for urea on Thursday. She was immediately rushed to a hospital by a 108 ambulance. To manage the chaotic crowds and prevent repeat entries, authorities have resorted to marking farmers with indelible ink and distributing tokens for urea allocation. Earlier, on August 30, a farmer was allegedly slapped by a Sub-Inspector during a dispute at the same PACS center, triggering outrage and protests against police high-handedness.

Yadadri Bhongir district

In Ramannapet mandal, farmers took to the streets, blocking the Chityal-Bhongir highway in front of the PACS office to demand adequate urea supplies. The protest, led by former MLA, Chirumarthi Lingaiah, highlighted the acute shortage that has left farmers scrambling to save their crops. Demonstrators accused the government of mismanagement and voiced fears of crop losses if the issue remains unresolved.

Mahabubabad district: Farmers Set Fire in Protest

In Mahabubabad, Manuk Lakshman, a tenant farmer from the mandal headquarters, vented his frustration by squatting on the road over receiving a single urea bag for his three-acre leased field, which he said was turning red due to lack of fertilizer. Lakshman criticized Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, alleging that farmers were let down under the Congress government. He repented for having voted for the Congress in the last elections. “We’re beating ourselves with our own slippers for trusting them,” he lamented.

Suryapet district: Farmers Join Queues by 5 AM

In Tungaturthi, farmers resorted to placing their footwear in queues as early as 5 a.m. at the Farmers’ Service Cooperative Society to secure their spot for urea distribution. The desperate measure followed farmers camping for days to obtain even a single bag of fertilizer, though it was inadequate for their needs.

Kamareddy district: Farmers Return Empty-Handed

In Gargul village, farmers lined up from early morning at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society godown, enduring long queues in hopes of securing urea. Farmers spent hours waiting, but many returned empty-handed or with inadequate supplies.