Kakani Slams Coalition On Urea Shortage

Speaking to media here on Friday, Govardhan Reddy said the coalition has done away with Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) which were like a boon to farmers who used to get from seed to marketing facilities as a one-stop facility. He also said the coalition government has failed to supply urea, pesticides and other inputs as they are being routed through private players who are selling at a higher price.

Govardhan Reddy said that only 65,000 tonnes of required 16.78 lakh tonnes urea was supplied so far by the government though the khariff season has begun.

The farmers are queueing up leaving their agriculture works and are forced to buy from the private players paying an extra amount of ₹250 per bag, he said.

While the actual urea price is ₹266.50 per bag, it is now being sold by private players ₹450 per bag which shows the seriousness of the situation. So far, about 250 farmers have died by suicide and the government is unfazed. The agriculture minister has to be sacked following the letter written by an official which exposes the corruption in the farm mechanisation scheme and an inquiry has to be ordered, he said.

Govardhan Reddy claimed that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has always been anti-farmer and despite being in coalition, he is not bothered to seek urea from the Centre as he has his own agenda and the Rythu Seva Kendras are dysfunctional. “As the floods have damaged standing crops, we demand the coalition to assess properly and compensate the farmers besides supplying the required inputs on time,” he said.