The state government said despite repeated reminders, the Centre was not releasing Telangana's quota of urea. A farmers' body felt the Union government was trying to push nano urea, a a liquid alternative costing ₹250 per 0.5-liter bottle.
Published Aug 08, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2025 | 8:00 AM
The state’s urea reserve is alarmingly low, with only 1.09 LMT in stock—enough for barely a week or 10 days.
Synopsis: Key crops like paddy, cotton, and maize, which heavily rely on urea for healthy growth, are at a critical stage. However, the state’s urea stocks are alarmingly low, with only 1.09 LMT in reserve—enough for barely a week or 10 days, the most, according to Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao.
An acute shortage of urea, a vital nitrogen-based fertiliser, has left the farmers in Telangana worried during the peak farming season in the Kharif season.
Long queues for urea, and black-marketing of the fertiliser have become the norm as the dire circumstances may affect crop yields and livelihoods.
The crisis has also ignited a fierce political blame game between the Congress-led state government and the BJP-led central government, leaving farmers caught in the crossfire.
As of 31 July, the state was reeling under a 2.24 lakh metric tonne (LMT) deficit against the expected 6.60 LMT for April to July, with only 4.36 LMT supplied. The situation is likely to worsen in August.
The Kharif season, bolstered by a revived and early onset of southwest monsoon, saw crops sown across 61.10 million acres by mid-July, slightly below the normal target of 66.41 million acres.
Key crops like paddy, cotton, and maize, which heavily rely on urea for healthy growth, are at a critical stage. However, the state’s urea stocks are alarmingly low, with only 1.09 LMT in reserve—enough for barely a week or 10 days, according to Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao.
August, a critical month for urea application, requires 3.50 LMT, but only 1.70 LMT has been allocated, raising fears of a potential 10-15% yield drop.
Farmers across Telangana, particularly in districts like Nalgonda, Khammam, Warangal, Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, and Siddipet, are bearing the brunt.
In Adilabad, only 440 bags were distributed at the Agricultural Cooperative Society against a much higher demand, forcing farmers to turn to private dealers charging ₹300 or more per 45-kg bag, compared to the subsidised rate of ₹266.
In Siddipet’s Akbarpet-Bhoompally mandal, farmers have resorted to placing footwear or stones in queues to reserve their spots, some waiting days for limited rations. The desperation reminded of a tragic 2019 incident in Siddipet, where a farmer collapsed and died while waiting in the queue for urea.
The state government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, has pointed an accusing finger at the central government for the shortfall.
On 8 July, he met Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers JP Nadda in New Delhi, and explained to him that there was a 1.94 LMT deficit from April to June and urging immediate action.
On 2 August, Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel claimed Telangana had adequate stocks, a statement met with skepticism by state officials.
Agriculture Minister Nageswara Rao, on 6 August, met Nadda and urged him to ensure the immediate supply of urea that was allocated to the state. He stressed that the shortfall in urea supply from April to July should be compensated, along with the August allocations.
He brought to the Union minister’s notice that the state had only a stock of 1.09 lakh metric tonnes of urea, and any delay in supply could severely impact farmers.
The minister said that the Centre had allocated 1.70 lakh metric tonnes of urea to Telangana for August and insisted that the full quantity be delivered immediately. He also pointed out that the state faced a deficit of 2.10 lakh metric tonnes of urea during the April–July period and requested that this shortfall also be supplied without delay.
On 26 July, he wrote to the Centre on monthly shortfalls: April received 1.21 LMT against 1.60 LMT needed; May 0.88 LMT against 1.60 LMT; June 0.98 LMT against 1.70 LMT; and July 1.16 LMT against 1.60 LMT—a consistent 20-45% deficit.
He slammed the Centre for logistical failures, noting that no ships were allocated to transport the 0.97 LMT of imported urea promised for July.
“The Centre’s inaction is pushing our farmers into a corner,” Nageswara Rao said during a review in Kothagudem, accusing BJP leaders of misleading the public by citing a Rabi season surplus of 1.92 LMT, which he clarified had already been utilised.
BJP state president N Ramchander Rao challenged Nageswara Rao to a public debate, alleging that the Congress government was exaggerating the crisis to deflect from its mismanagement ahead of local body elections.
“The Centre supplied 12.02 LMT against a demand of 9.5 LMT,” Ramchander Rao claimed, accusing the state of colluding with middlemen to facilitate black-market sales.
The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has capitalised on the crisis to lambast the Congress government. On 4 August, the party’s working president, KT Rama Rao, accused the state of failing to lift allocated urea quotas in April, May, and June, leaving 70 lakh farmers in distress.
“This is not a farmer’s government but a demonic rule,” he posted on X, contrasting the current situation with the BRS’s tenure, which he claimed ensured timely supplies.
Farmers’ organisations, like the Telangana Rythu Sangham, suspect a deeper agenda, alleging that the Centre is deliberately limiting urea to push nano urea, a liquid alternative costing ₹250 per 0.5-liter bottle.
This apart, distribution challenges abound in Telangana. The state allocates 60 percent of urea rakes to MARKFED and 40 percent to private traders, but small farmers often rely on private outlets for flexibility and credit. This has fueled allegations of hoarding and black-market sales, with prices reaching ₹500 per bag in some areas.
The state has introduced toll-free numbers to report irregularities, and local officials are inspecting fertiliser shops, but these measures have had little or no effect. Agriculture experts warned that continued delays could lead to significant yield losses, particularly for paddy and maize.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has urged BJP MPs to lobby with the Centre, while BRS demanded a probe into alleged hoarding. Meanwhile, farmers, caught in a cycle of scarcity, high costs, and political rhetoric, continue to suffer.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
