Data contradicts Union Min Nadda’s ‘excess urea use by Telangana’ remark
HYDERABAD: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers JP Nadda’s statement that Telangana was using excessive urea contradicts the official statistics presented in Parliament, which indicate that the state has not even fully utilised its allotted quota of urea.
The Union minister made this observation regarding high urea consumption in Telangana after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy formally requested him to ensure an uninterrupted supply of urea to meet the state’s demand in the ongoing Kharif season. Following Nadda’s meeting with the CM, the ministry stated: “Union Minister Nadda expressed concern over excess consumption of urea, which is detrimental to the long-term health of the soil.”
As if this were not enough, Rajat Kumar Mishra, secretary of the Department of Fertilisers, urged the state government to reduce excessive chemical fertiliser usage. However, statistics provided by the ministry in Parliament show that Telangana has never exceeded its urea requirement.
According to the data, in 2024–25, the state consumed 20.08 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of urea against a requirement of 20.2 LMT. For Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), consumption was 3.64 LMT against a requirement of 3.9 LMT. For NPKS (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulphur), the state used only 14.97 LMT compared to the required 17 LMT.
Currently, Telangana faces a shortage of urea. The state has only 1.45 LMT in stock, whereas August’s estimated demand exceeds 3 LMT based on previous seasonal trends and cropping patterns. Besides, the Union government’s supply to Telangana from April to July 2025 has been insufficient.
Anticipating a crisis, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has written to Nadda, requesting an immediate supply of 3 LMT for August to prevent severe disruptions to farming operations during the peak season. Recently, state Agriculture officials also met Union government representatives in Delhi to push for adequate urea allocation.
