GUNTUR: With Kharif sowing in full swing across Andhra Pradesh, district officials are leaving no room for confusion or shortage fears as they push forward a multi-pronged fertiliser distribution and monitoring drive. From stepping up vigilance at district borders to launching innovative social media campaigns, authorities are ensuring that farmers have hassle-free access to urea and other fertilisers.
In Guntur, paddy and cotton are being cultivated across 77,340 hectares, with the district having already distributed 21,800 metric tonnes (MT) of urea against a seasonal requirement of 22,000 MT.
An additional 1,850 MT is scheduled to arrive by September 10. Stocks are being supplied based on crop requirements through Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs), Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), and District Cooperative Marketing Societies (DCMS). Village-level sabhas have been conducted to assess requirements, and checkpoints have been established to prevent inter-district smuggling.
Dealers are under constant inspection, while intelligence teams monitor sales to prevent overpricing. Farmers can report violations to a monitoring cell at 8309623713. Guntur officials launched the ‘Urea Meechenthaku’campaign, where agriculture staff take selfies with farmers during fertilizer distribution, posting them online to reassure availability and counter rumours, District Agriculture Officer A Nageswara Rao said.
Bandaru Sreenivas Rao of Vattichekuru mandal said, “I purchased DAP and urea on subsidy without any hassle. Many farmers are pacing their purchases due to financial strain from last season.” Bapatla District Collector J Venkata Murali said 16,000 MT of urea has been distributed, with another 6,000 MT arriving by September 12. He instructed officials to allot area-wise time slots for farmers, provide shade, drinking water, and seating at distribution centers, and ensure mandatory data entry in the IFMS app. Farmers have been asked to report any overpricing to 8247040131.
Palnadu district, which requires 34,556 MT of urea for the Kharif season, currently has 4,171 MT available, with additional stock on the way. Officials there are following similar measures, including intensive dealer inspections, border monitoring, and distribution through RSKs, PACS, and DCMS.