YSRCP leader asks government to respond soon to shortage of fertilizers in A.P.

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Former Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission (APSAM) Vice-Chairman and YSRCP leader M.V.S. Nagi Reddy demanded the State government to urgently secure additional urea allocations from the Centre to resolve the severe shortage troubling the farmers.

Responding to the shortage of urea in the State, he said that the farmers are queuing up at Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), and a visit to the two would expose the ground reality of the situation.

Mr. Nagi Reddy alleged that private dealers are exploiting farmers, forcing them to buy nano urea and pesticides. This year, nearly 2 lakh hectares shifted from groundnut and oilseed cultivation to paddy and food grains, which need more fertilizers. With heavy rains, demand for urea in maize, cotton, and vegetables has risen sharply, he added.

“The State government has failed to anticipate this and act in time,” he said. Mr Nagi Reddy said that earlier the distribution of urea was split 50-50 between PACS/RBKs and private dealers. Recently, Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu promised a 70-30 allocation favouring PACS/RBKs, however the decision has still not been implemented. “The delay is hurting farmers,” he said.

Rejecting the claim of ‘panic buying’ as a reason for the alleged shortage, he said that small and marginal farmers cannot hoard fertilizers. “It is the traders who are creating artificial scarcity,” he alleged. Mr. Nagi Reddy urged the State to respond sincerely and secure immediate allocations from the Centre to protect the farmers from distress.

Published - August 25, 2025 08:02 pm IST

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