YSRCP demands immediate Central Urea allocation

Tadepalli, August 25: Former AP State Agriculture Mission Vice Chairman MVS Nagi Reddy demanded that the State Government urgently secure additional urea allocations from the Centre to resolve the severe shortage troubling farmers.
He said farmers are queuing up at PACS and Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), contrary to CM Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that shortage reports are false. “A single visit to PACS or RBKs will expose the ground reality,” he asserted.
Nagi Reddy stated that private dealers are exploiting farmers, forcing them to buy nano urea and pesticides to access urea. This year, around two lakh hectares shifted from groundnut and oilseeds to paddy and food grains, which need more fertilizer. Combined with heavy rains, demand for urea in maize, cotton, and vegetables has risen sharply. He said the government failed to anticipate this and act in time.
Earlier, urea distribution was split 50–50 between PACS/RBKs and private dealers. Recently, the Agriculture Minister promised a 70–30 allocation favoring PACS/RBKs, but the decision is still not implemented. “The delay is hurting farmers,” he warned.
Rejecting the claim of “panic buying”, he said small and marginal farmers, 69% with one acre, 19% with 3.5 acres, cannot hoard fertilizers. Instead, traders are creating artificial scarcity.
He also cautioned against pushing nano urea, citing Punjab University trials showing reduced yields and protein content. “Unproven solutions cannot be forced on farmers,” he stressed.
Nagi Reddy urged the State to respond sincerely and secure central allocations immediately to protect farmers from distress.