Vijayawada: NTR district collector Dr Lakshmisha on Monday issued a stern warning to the traders and dealers of fertilisers and pesticides in NTR district stating that stern action will be taken if artificial scarcity is created this Kharif season.

He further warned that action will be taken if traders sell fertilisers at inflated rates or mislead the farmers with substitute products. He said licenses of traders and dealers will be cancelled if any irregularities are committed. The collector conducted surprise inspections of Sri Kanaka Durga Fertilisers & Pesticides and Mana Growmore in Kanchikacherla, reviewing stock registers and physical inventory against online supply chain data. Speaking to the media during his visit, collector said revenue and agriculture officials (RDOs and Tahsildars) are actively monitoring the supply at the field level. “So far, no complaints have been received from farmers, but any future complaint will be dealt with firmly and immediately,” he said.

To address concerns swiftly, a Control Room has been set up at the Collectorate with the mobile No 91549 70454, he stated. He said farmers are being guided toward natural farming practices, especially Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), which helps reduce input costs while boosting yields and profits. Dr Lakshmisha said that Nano Urea, which cuts fertiliser use in half without reducing effectiveness, is being aggressively promoted across the district. Additionally, agri-tech innovations and high-income horticulture crops are being encouraged to further improve farmer livelihoods.

Nandigama RDO K Balakrishna, Agriculture AD Srinivas, AO Vijay Kumar, Tahsildar Narasimharao, and other officials were present during the inspections.