HYDERABAD: Stating that the mismatch between approved allocation and the actual vessel-based allotment of imported urea is pushing Telangana into a distress situation, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Wednesday urged the Union government to supply adequate urea for the state.
In his letter to Union Chemicals & Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda, Nageswara Rao also requested the Centre to enhance allotment of urea from the indigenous units like RFCL from 30,800 MT to 60,000 MT.
In his letter, the agriculture minister said that the state has been witnessing a continuous shortfall between the approved allocation and the actual vessel-based allotment in the imported urea category. “This persistent mismatch is pushing the state into a distress situation, especially during the critical Kharif season,” he said.
The minister further stated that the Union government has issued the supply plan for July 2025, allotting a total quantity of 1.6 lakh metric tonnes of urea to the state, out of which only 60 per cent is from imported sources. However, there has been no vessel allotment against this imported allocation, he added.
“The gap between the imported urea allocation in the supply plan and the actual timing of vessel allotment, based on vessel arrivals, remains a matter of serious concern for the state. This is further compounded by the piecemeal allotment of quantities against the approved plan, which is adversely affecting the timely and adequate availability of urea at the field level,” Nageswara Rao said in his letter.
In this context, the minister asked the Centre to ensure full realisation of the 0.97 LMTs of imported urea allocated for July 2024 through immediate vessel allotment. He also urged it to issue an additional supply plan to compensate for the shortfall quantities from April to June 2025.