Urea Availability Remains Concern in Rayalaseema Ahead of Kharif Season
In view of the shortage, agriculture officials have been advising farmers to use nano urea as an alternative
KURNOOL: Even as farmers face rising input costs due to higher complex fertiliser prices, urea availability continues to remain a key concern across Rayalaseema districts with the kharif season approaching.
Farmers said uncertainty over timely supply of the fertiliser has been causing anxiety, recalling long waiting hours at Rythu Seva Kendras during the previous season to procure even a single bag of urea.
Agriculture department estimates indicate that over 9 lakh hectares are expected to be cultivated in Kurnool, Kadapa and Nandyal districts during the kharif season. Officials said each district would require between 60,000 and 1.20 lakh metric tonnes of urea by the end of the season, with at least 35,000 metric tonnes needed by the end of June as application begins from the nursery stage.
However, current availability is reported to be below requirement. Data from the Kurnool district agriculture office shows that about 14,000 metric tonnes of urea is in stock. Similar shortages are being reported in Nandyal, Kadapa, Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts. Overall requirement for Rayalaseema is estimated at around 3.5 lakh metric tonnes for the kharif season.
Farmer M. Siva Narayana from Chagalamarri in Nandyal district said procurement was difficult during the last kharif season. “I cultivated paddy in six acres, but getting urea was a huge challenge. I had to make repeated visits and wait for hours just to get one bag,” he said.
In view of the shortage, agriculture officials have been advising farmers to use nano urea as an alternative. However, many farmers who used it last season reportedly expressed dissatisfaction, saying it did not yield expected results.
Dr K. Ashok Kumar, Principal Scientist (Agronomy) at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Nandyal, said nano urea cannot fully replace conventional urea. “Nano urea should only be used as a supplementary input. It can meet around 30 per cent of the nitrogen requirement, while the remaining 70 per cent must come from conventional urea,” he said.
Kurnool District Agriculture Officer P. Varalakshmi said there was no shortage of fertilisers and supplies were being arranged through domestic production and imports. She said farmers were being encouraged to use nano urea as an alternative.
Meanwhile, the agriculture department has issued a mobile helpline number (8341302863) for fertiliser availability queries, though farmers reportedly said it was non-functional.
Kharif Cultivation Estimate
District - Area (in hectares)
Kurnool - 3.10 lakh
Kadapa - 2.80 lakh
Nandyal - 2.60 lakh
Anantapur - 3.40 lakh
Sri Sathya Sai - 3.10 lakh
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Current Urea Stocks
District - Urea Stock (in metric tonnes)
Kurnool - 13,583
Nandyal - 12,784
Kadapa - 12,972
Anantapur - 14,566