Adilabad Farmers Protest As Subsidised Urea Smuggled To Maharashtra
Subsidised urea meant for local farmers diverted to black market; police seize stocks and intensify border checks as protests erupt over critical supply gaps.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-07-09 14:56 GMT
Adilabad: Farmers are expressing anger over the shortage of urea at a crucial time for its application in their fields, and over subsidised urea being smuggled from Adilabad district to Maharashtra. This smuggling undermines the interests of local farmers.
Taking advantage of the shortage, some private fertiliser‐shop owners and HACA, PACS, and DCMS purchasing centres are allegedly diverting urea to the black market, where it sells for ₹450 per bag instead of the Telangana‐fixed price of ₹266.
Agriculture officials have failed to verify urea stocks at various centres or to check the details of farmers claiming supplies with their Aadhaar cards and Patta passbooks. Meanwhile, the Central government’s shortfall has left a huge demand for urea unmet.
There are also allegations that some HACA and PACS centres are generating fake bills in farmers’ names to cover up the diversion of bags. According to sources, Adilabad district’s agriculture department received 24,000 MT of urea for June, though 40,000 MT were needed for the Kharif season.
Protests have erupted across the erstwhile Adilabad district, with farmers accusing smugglers of worsening the shortage by sending subsidised urea into Maharashtra. The owner of the Bela HACA centre, in particular, was implicated in facilitating these smuggling operations, spotlighting the agriculture department’s lack of oversight over mandal‐level stocks and distribution.
On Wednesday, Adilabad police seized 68 quintals (150 bags) of urea valued at ₹3,00,000 and arrested five people for smuggling. Bela mandal, and neighbouring Bheempur, Jainad, and Talamadugu, borders Maharashtra, making them key transit points. Investigators learned that the Bela centre owner sold 150 bags at ₹350 each to a Maharashtra‐based trader, who then retails them for ₹450 per bag. Sirpur (T), Mancherial, and Nirmal districts also share borders with Maharashtra.
Farmers in Jainoor mandal staged a rasta roko on Wednesday to protest the urea shortage. They report that smugglers transport urea from Anandpur in Jainad mandal to Bhori and Kinwat in Maharashtra.
Adilabad DSP P. Jeevan Reddy said police have intensified border surveillance following farmer complaints about critical urea shortages.
Local farmers voiced urgent need for relief: Bedodkar Dayakar Patel of Sangdi village, Bela mandal, stressed that cotton crops require timely urea application, and G. Rakesh of Talamadugu mandal appealed to the state government to ensure urea supplies for July and August, warning that without it farmers will suffer greatly.