NALGONDA : In most villages across the state, waiting in long queues for urea has become the norm for farmers. As soon as the news of fertiliser stocks arriving in their respective villages trickles in, residents rush to the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society offices, while those who have other work to attend to place footwear and towels in the queues.
On Thursday, hundreds of farmers lined up at the Narketpally Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society but to their disappointment, they were provided just one bag of urea each. Even those with 20 acres of land were able to buy only five bags, lamented a farmer.
Meanwhile, at a similarly long queue at the PACS in Kothapalli in Anumula mandal, what caught the eye of many was a toddler waiting patiently in the queue. A video of the three-year-old boy, holding his father’s passbook, waiting for urea went viral on social media.
Who is to blame?
Officials, meanwhile, attributed the urea shortage to farmers buying more than they require for the current Kharif season and stocking the fertiliser for future crop cultivation.
“The farmers, quite understandably, are worried by information being spread in traditional and social media as well as the claims and counter-claims of political leaders on shortage of urea. Hence, they are resorting to panic buying,” said an official.
According to officials, the district is supposed to receive 70,000 MT of urea by September but it has so far received 45,500 MT. “Delay in arrival of two fertiliser racks due to heavy rains also added to the current shortage,” they added.
Speaking to TNIE, Nalgonda District Farmers’ Union representative Banda Srisailam alleged that the Centre is deliberately withholding urea supplies to opposition-ruled states to boost the sales of a nano urea company owned by a BJP MP.