PADDY FARMERS AFFECTED BY UREA SHORTAGE

Urea shortage is plaguing farmers across Kadapa district. They are running to fertilizer shops but in vain.

Falling good rains over the past week, water was released through KC canal making it perfect to sow paddy. The government has affiliated Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) to each village secretariat in order to provide farmers with fertilizers, pesticides and seeds. In practice, however, it is not being implemented properly. Farmers will need urea at an average rate of two bags per acre.

More than 40,000 hectares of paddy are cultivated in the district during the current Kharif. With the timely release of irrigation water to the KC canal, all strategic farmers are in the process of irrigating 25,000 hectares of extent for only paddy under KC canal. At the commencement of the Kharif season, farmers were jubilant as urea was delivered at their doorstep under RBKs. They never expected such a shortage.

In the past, only land passbook, mobile number and Aadhar number were asked for procuring urea. This time they are collecting voter ID as per the directions of the Union Government.

RBKs are offering urea from Nagarjuna and Coromandel companies at Rs 266.50 whereas private dealers said that diesel prices and labour charges had gone up because of which they were selling a bag of urea for `300.