Agri min slams Centre over urea shortfall

Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has slammed the Centre for its handling of urea supply, alleging that there is no proper planning in ensuring timely fertiliser availability ahead of the kharif season.Addressing farmers during the Rythu Nestham programme on Tuesday, the minister said the ongoing conflict in the Gulf has disrupted global urea shipments to India, affecting supplies to several states, including Telangana. He stated that despite repeated requests made by the state since Nov last for kharif requirements, the Centre failed to provide clarity or assurance on adequate urea allocation.Tummala pointed out that the production and distribution of urea across the country falls entirely under the jurisdiction of the central govt. In such a situation, criticism by BJP leaders against the Telangana govt over fertiliser shortages was unfair, he remarked. He also noted that urea supply, diesel availability and crop procurement were largely controlled by the Centre.The minister said Telangana has been making crop purchases to support farmers, unlike several other states where maize, jowar and sunflower were reportedly not being procured. He explained that after the state procures crops from farmers, agencies such as NAFED and FCI were expected to lift the stocks.