12 lakh ryots using mobile app to book urea in T’gana

Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture Department's mobile application for booking urea fertiliser, the first of its kind in the country, has gained traction after initial hiccups, with 12.73 lakh farmers booking 50.48 lakh bags so far, of which 46.13 lakh have been purchased. The initiative was piloted in five districts before being expanded statewide. Highly placed sources said the Centre is monitoring the application's usage with a view to replicating it across the country. It has reportedly been appraised by the Union Department of Fertilisers, which is examining its potential for wider adoption.
The reform comes at a time when urea consumption is on the rise. India consumes approximately 35 to 36 million tonnes of urea annually. In Telangana, consumption increased from 16.42 lakh metric tonnes in 2020–21 to a projected 20.07 lakh metric tonnes in 2024–25. This growth has been driven by the expansion of paddy cultivation, which rose from around 42.2 lakh hectares to 52.6 lakh hectares, along with increased demand for maize and cotton.The new system replaces the earlier practice of issuing fertiliser at dealer points primarily through Aadhaar authentication, a method that often failed to link purchases with landholdings, crop stage or agronomic requirements. During Kharif peaks, this resulted in crowded outlets, repeated visits by farmers, uncertainty over stock availability and opportunities for bulk buying.Under the new model, farmers can view real-time urea stock at nearby outlets, book the required quantity via their mobile phones, and visit the dealer only after receiving confirmation. The process is designed to make purchases more predictable and reduce queues. Allocation is linked to Pattadar Passbook records, cultivated area and the crop sown, with quantities determined according to recommendations from the state agricultural university.