Vijayawada: Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu directed district collectors to maintain strict oversight of urea stocks, distribution, and supply to farmers across the state.

Addressing a teleconference from his camp office in Vijayawada with collectors from Krishna, NTR, Srikakulam, Bapatla, Vizianagaram, Kadapa, Eluru and Sri Sathya Sai districts, the minister stressed the need for vigilance to ensure that official records and ground-level stock positions match without discrepancies.

The minister instructed collectors to immediately furnish district-wise urea stock details and resolve supply issues, particularly in Krishna, Bapatla, and Kadapa districts, where problems have been reported. He said urea should be shifted from surplus regions to deficit areas, with transportation costs fully borne by the government.

Stating that the Centre had already allocated 9.5 lakh metric tonne fertilizers for the ongoing rabi season, Atchannaidu assured farmers there was no need for concern. He also directed coordination with port and railway authorities to ensure the timely arrival of 53,000 metric tonnes of urea expected through Gangavaram and Kakinada ports.

The minister instructed collectors to respond swiftly to misinformation on social media and in newspapers, and to brief the media daily on actual stock positions. He lauded NTR District Collector Lakshmi Sha for launching the ‘Dial Your Collector’ initiative to resolve supply-related grievances.

Atchannaidu emphasised setting up special shops in villages to ensure farmers’ access to fertilizers, creating mandal-level task forces to prevent shortages, and maintaining smooth distribution over the next 10 days. If necessary, he said, a token system should be introduced to regulate distribution.

Agriculture department officials informed the minister that a dedicated WhatsApp group had been created to monitor urea supply issues, with oversight from senior officials and the vigilance and enforcement department.

The teleconference was attended by EO special chief secretary Rajasekhar, agriculture director S Delhi Rao, and district collectors Balaji (Krishna), Lakshmi Sha (NTR), Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar (Srikakulam), Murali (Bapatla), Ambedkar (Vizianagaram), Sridhar (Kadapa), Vetriselvi (Eluru), and Chetan (Sri Sathya Sai).