Andhra Pradesh to Monitor Urea Supply to Farmers, Ensure Equitable Distribution
Special chief secretary (Agriculture) Budithi Rajasekhar reviewed the urea demand and supply position during a video conference on Wednesday with joint collectors and district agriculture and MARKFED officers.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government has intensified its monitoring of urea availability and distribution. It has directed district administrations to keep farmers updated on the supply, with strict action taken against irregularities in sales and usage.
Special chief secretary (Agriculture) Budithi Rajasekhar reviewed the urea demand and supply position during a video conference on Wednesday with joint collectors and district agriculture and MARKFED officers.
Rajasekhar expressed serious concern over reports of overpricing, uneven distribution, diversion of stocks, and inadequate inspections in some districts. He wanted mandal and Rythu Seva Kendra-wise data on receipts of urea and the plan of supply over the next two weeks to improve transparency.
The special CS asked Agriculture department staff to focus on three priorities – promoting responsible urea use and discouraging excessive or advanced stocking; encouraging natural and organic farming through farmyard manure, compost and green manure crops; and strengthening continuous enforcement against diversion, smuggling and overpricing. While digital systems can track sales, Rajasekhar wanted field officers to ensure proper monitoring of actual urea usage.
Agriculture director Manazir Jeelani Samoon underlined that monitoring should go beyond sales figures. It must be ensured that urea actually reaches genuine farmers and is used for cultivation. He instructed districts to communicate stock availability through urea bulletins, press releases and SMS alerts to reassure farmers. There must be strong internal management and micro-level field monitoring.
The director said teams from the state office are being sent wherever problems in urea supply are reported. Further, additional inputs are being gathered through the IVRS system. Jeelani said all fertiliser dealers have been directed to prominently display boards showing stock position, prices and sales details.
Joint collectors of West Godavari, Guntur, Vizianagaram and Bapatla districts said they are regularly issuing bulletins and SMS alerts. They will continue to keep farmers informed about urea availability.
Further, the meeting discussed procurement of pulses, such as red gram and black gram.