Urea Shortage Looms as Kharif Season Nearest
Urea supply shortages in Rayalaseema threaten agricultural output ahead of the kharif season, causing anxiety among farmers who face rising input costs.
Highlights
- •Urea Shortage: Over 3.5 lakh metric tonnes required but current stock is insufficient for upcoming planting period.
- •Nano Urethane Limited Impact: Farmers report dissatisfaction with the performance of nano urea as a substitute.
- •Farmers' Challenges: Long waits and difficulties in obtaining needed fertilizers during previous seasons highlight supply issues.
- •Officials' Response: Helpline for queries reported non-functional; domestic production and imports planned to address shortages.
Urea availability remains a critical concern for farmers across the Rayalaseema districts as the kharif season approaches, threatening production in key agricultural regions. With over 9 lakh hectares expected to be cultivated in Kurnool, Kadapa, and Nandyal during the upcoming planting period, the potential shortage of urea could severely impact yields.
Uncertainty Grips Farmers
The agriculture department forecasts a total requirement of around 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of urea for the Rayalaseema region. However, current stock levels are well below this estimate: Kurnool has only 14,000 metric tonnes, while similar shortages are reported in Nandyal and Kadapa districts. Farmers like M. Siva Narayana from Chagalamarri, Nandyal district, recall the difficulty in obtaining urea during the last kharif season. "I faced a huge challenge cultivating paddy on six acres; hours of waiting were common just to pick up one bag," he said.
Agriculture officials have advised farmers to use nano urea as an alternative, but many expressed dissatisfaction with its performance last year. Dr K. Ashok Kumar, from the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) in Nandyal, emphasized that nano urea can only serve as a supplementary input, covering around 30 percent of nitrogen requirements.
Despite assurances of domestic production and imports, farmers reported that a recently issued helpline for fertiliser availability queries remained non-functional. The Kurnool District Agriculture Officer P. Varalakshmi addressed the concerns by confirming that sufficient supplies were arranged through both indigenous sources and imports.
