Andhra CM assures farmers of urea supply

Amaravati, Sep 3 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday assured that the state government is committed to supplying urea to each and every farmer, stressing that 94,892 tonne of the fertilizer is available across the state.

Addressing a press conference at the CMO, he said another 44,508 tonne of urea stock will arrive in the next 10 days, underscoring that up to 25,000 tonne were distributed in the past 10 days.

"Our intention is only one: farmers should be supplied with urea on time. Fertilizers should be supplied," said Naidu, adding that all the agricultural officers will make sure that no farmer faces urea shortage.

According to the CM, the government is analysing finer details such as how much urea is being utilised and if an excess quantity is being used, then why? He further said the government has information on how much urea stock is available in which shop so that it can divert stocks to shops where necessary.

Naidu noted that total fertilizer consumption in 2024-25 was 39 lakh tonne, which averaged around 37 lakh tonne per annum over the last four years.

At the beginning of FY26, Naidu gave a call to limit fertilizer consumption to 33 lakh tonne.

As fertilizers are being diverted, the CM said the vigilance department has been activated, which has seized 1,285 tonne of fertilizers.

Noting that he held a collectors' conference over this issue, Naidu said they will make sure that no farmer lacks fertilizers.

Promising to supply as much urea as required, the CM also observed that he will employ Aadhaar authentication to curb fertilizer diversion and alleged that a YSRCP activist "hijacked" an urea truck recently.

Alleging that YSRCP activists are coming in the guise of farmers, he attacked the opposition party for allegedly making a false propaganda that fertilizers are not available, especially "using social media".

He advised the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party to refrain from alleged "fake politics" and said that when "farmers are happy, YSRCP is unhappy".

Emphasising that the government is being compelled to clarify alleged fake news all the time, Naidu promised to bring a law to curb it, and appealed to farmers to be apolitical with awareness.

Meanwhile, YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Naidu of failing to "supply urea to farmers who are allegedly being compelled to stand in queues for days together to procure a sack".

The former chief minister alleged that farmers were forced to stand in queues for days together to buy urea while the ruling party leaders allegedly "diverted subsidised stocks for black-market sales at inflated prices".

"From the time you (Naidu) came to power, for two years in a row, farmers are facing fertilizer difficulties. For a sack of urea, they are being compelled to stand for days together in queues. Why did you bring such a horrible situation," said Reddy in a post on 'X'.

Further, YSRCP leader and former minister Kakani Goverdhan Reddy on Wednesday announced that the opposition party will protest at divisional revenue offices statewide on September 9 against alleged 'urea scarcity'. PTI STH MS KH