Centre’s silence on urea quota release keeps state on the edge
Telangana demands immediate release of outstanding fertiliser quota as monsoon intensifies
Hyderabad: The State Government has expressed serious concerns to the Union Government regarding the non-release of its monthly urea quota, with two letters sent to the Centre remaining unanswered to date.
Officials confirmed that the Central Government had allocated 9.80 lakh metric tonnes of urea for the upcoming farming season and had also provided a monthly supply plan to the State. Prior to the season’s commencement, the State Government had strategically stocked 5 lakh metric tonnes of urea and prepared a supply plan to meet anticipated demand.
However, the Centre supplied 0.48 lakh metric tonnes less urea in April and 0.66 lakh metric tonnes less in May than the allocated amounts. This has resulted in a cumulative shortage of 1.14 lakh metric tonnes of urea for the State over these two months.
Out of the 3.30 lakh metric tonnes allocated until May, only 2.16 lakh metric tonnes have been supplied. State Agriculture Minister T Nageshwara Rao stated that the government has already formally requested the Centre to supply the remaining 1.14 lakh metric tonnes alongside the June allocation. Furthermore, the State Additional Director met with central authorities on 19 May and reiterated the request on 26 May during company-wise allocations for June.
The Minister urged that the majority of the June urea supply be sourced from domestically produced stock. However, out of the 1.70 lakh metric tonnes allocated by the Central Government to the State for June, only 37 per cent has been designated from domestic companies, with a significant 67 per cent allocated from imported urea.
Given the Centre’s continued silence regarding the 1.14 lakh metric tonnes short-supplied in the previous two months, Minister Rao has instructed officials to meet with central authorities again this week to press for a resolution.
In light of the activated monsoons, the Minister has also dispatched another letter to the Centre, appealing for the timely supply of the entire urea amount allocated to the State until June.
