GUNTUR: Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar held a review meeting with agriculture officials on Wednesday at the Sankaran Meeting Mini Hall in Guntur, focusing on urea supply, soil testing, and low e-crop data registration.
The meeting was conducted with Prathipadu MLA B Ramana Jnaneyulu. Chandrasekhar said the government supplied 26,000 metric tonnes of urea to the district against a requirement of 24,000 metric tonnes. However, heavy rains washed away a significant quantity of fertilizer, creating unexpected demand. He added that media reports of a shortage had led to panic buying among farmers. To prevent such issues, he recommended purchasing larger reserves from Markfed and introducing an OTP-based system to ensure genuine tenant farmers received allocations.
The Minister noted that although 13,000 soil tests had been conducted, coverage remained incomplete in several areas. He directed officials to adopt advanced technologies for wider soil testing.
On crop insurance, Chandrasekhar expressed concern that nearly 90 percent of farmers were unable to apply and said the reasons were under study for corrective action.
MLA Ramana Jnaneyulu dismissed clarifies that Guntur received 2,000 metric tonnes of urea more than its target.