Karimnagar: The farmers in erstwhile Karimnagar district have taken to staging protests to demand that agriculture officials supply them with urea.
The department has estimated the urea demand for the kharif season at about one lakh metric tonnes in the undivided Karimnagar district, but the government had despatched only 40,000 metric tonnes and instructed officials to distribute it through the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS).
Mr Thirupathi Reddy, district president of the Rythu Ikya Vedika, alleged that officials supplied large quantities of urea to influential farmers and a created shortage for the poor and marginal farmers.
The officials are distributing only one or two bags of urea to these sections which us not sufficient. The farmers in protest staged dharnas and road blocks at various places, he added.
In Jagtial district, out of 25,000 metric tonnes of urea needed, the officials have so far distributed only 16,000 metric tonnes. Farmers at various locations staged dharnas in front of the PACS centres.
Jagtial legislator Dr Sanjay Kumar who met agriculture minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy recently in Hyderabad urged him to supply the required urea to the farming sector.
He urged the minister to supply 850 metric tonnes of urea which has to be supplied to the district through Kribhco (Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd) as early as possible.
Rajanna Sircilla district agriculture officer Randhir Kumar said they had estimated the requirement of 4,925 metric tonnes of urea for July, 8,352 metric tonnes for August and 7,200 metric tonnes for September which had been allotted. Apart from that, at the request made by farmers, Sircilla MLA K.T. Rama Rao had taken the initiative and spoken with officials of Markfed and allotted an extra 1,300 MT urea.
Even though more urea than is required has been distributed to the farmers compared to last season, they are still approaching the PACS centres demanding urea to save it for the coming Rabi season, he added.
