A crisis is simmering in Telangana, and the farmers are at the receiving end. Serpentine queues at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society centres for hours on end, at places even from early morning, have become the norm—something not witnessed in years. The reason is an acute shortage of urea.
The Centre has allotted 9.8 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to Telangana for this Kharif, but the state has received 5.42 LMT so far. The situation is largely the same in other states. Reasons are many. There are global supply chain disruptions and lower-than-expected imports due to factors such as China halting its exports. Still, India has agreements with the Saudis, UAE, Nigeria, and other countries to import urea. It’s not that we are entirely dependent on imports; we are the world’s third-largest producer of fertilisers. However, as the second-largest user in the world, the country is not yet self-reliant. It is clear that something has gone wrong, and the sooner the Centre and states acknowledge it, the better. Domestic production isn’t on expected lines. The Ramagundam Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd went out of action for some time. The urea stock with the Centre at the beginning of this month was about half of what it was last August.
Furthermore, the increased cultivable area in Telangana is taking its toll. Farmers in the State use about 170 kg per acre. When we consider that the sown area increased to 118.69 lakh acres from 91 lakh acres last year, the picture becomes clearer. Additionally, paddy cultivation has grown significantly, resulting in increased demand for fertilisers. A closer examination raises pertinent questions. Granted, we have import constraints. What have the Centre and states done to keep pace with the demand? There are programmes to promote natural farming and fertilisers other than the widely used ones. However, much more needs to be done to raise awareness among farmers. Importantly, domestic production must be freed from the ‘inspector raj’ as industry bodies demand. Currently, the Centre must expedite imports, ramp up domestic production, and improve distribution. Both the ruling and opposition in the state have turned the crisis into a boxing match, with the result that panic is spreading. The onus is on both to see reality for what it is, rather than confusing the farmers.