KTR demands probe into urea shortage in Telangana

Hyderabad, July 6 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday demanded an investigation into the fertiliser shortage in Telangana.

He lashed out at Congress government over the fertiliser shortage and asked it to explain to farmers why there is a statewide shortage of 1.94 lakh metric tonnes. "Why has the price of a sack of urea, which should be ₹266.50, now become ₹325? This should be explained not just to farmers but to all the people of the state," he said in a post on X.

"Who is running this black-market business from behind the scenes? Who is causing this artificial shortage, and who are the middlemen hoarding even fertilisers? An investigation must be conducted immediately," the BRS leader said.

KTR wanted to know why the government is unable to give the farmer even a sack of fertiliser, even after making Aadhaar cards mandatory.

The BRS leader alleged that the government failed to implement Rythu Bharosa or waive farm loans. Even if farmers take loans for farming, there is a shortage of fertilisers.

The urea shortage in the state has threatened farming activity during the Kharif season. The shortage has resulted in the price of urea rising to Rs 325 per 45-kg bag against the subsidised rate of Rs 266.50 to Rs 268.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao urged the Centre to act immediately to ensure a timely and sufficient supply of urea.

In a letter to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Jagat Prakash Nadda, he appealed for urgent steps to address the acute shortage of urea during the ongoing agricultural season.

The state minister mentioned that the Centre allocated five lakh tonnes of urea to Telangana for April, May and June but supplied only 3.06 lakh tonnes, leaving the state grappling with a shortfall of 1.94 lakh tonnes.

Rao also wrote a letter to Union Ministers from Telangana G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, urging them to request the Centre to ensure immediate supply of urea to overcome the shortage.

--IANS

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