Telangana’s Urea Quandary: Minister Tummala Reports Higher September Supply Amidst Persistent Kharif Shortfall
Despite a recent uptick in deliveries, the state faces a substantial 1.92 lakh tonne urea deficit for the ongoing Kharif season as of September 25.
HYDERABAD – Telangana’s Minister for Agriculture, Tummala Nageswara Rao, announced a recent update on urea supply. As of September 25, the state had received 7.88 lakh tonnes of urea from the Centre since April, falling short of the 9.8 lakh tonnes allocated for the current Kharif season.
During a briefing on Friday, the Minister detailed the urea allocation and supply figures. He noted that September offered a small respite, with Telangana receiving 1.84 lakh tonnes against an allotment of 1.6 lakh tonnes. However, all other months saw a significant deficit in supply.
Despite the slight improvement in September, the farming community has faced considerable hardship throughout the season due to persistent urea shortages. The cumulative deficit for the entire Kharif season still stands at approximately 2 lakh tonnes.
To address the anticipated needs for the upcoming Rabi season, Minister Rao urged the Centre to ensure a monthly supply of at least 2 lakh tonnes of urea for the crucial months of October, November, and December. The total estimated requirement for the Rabi season is a substantial 10.4 lakh tonnes.
Providing a month-by-month breakdown, he highlighted the consistent shortfalls: 1.21 lakh tonnes received in April against 1.71 lakh tonnes allotted; 0.88 lakh tonnes against 1.61 lakh tonnes in May; 0.98 lakh tonnes against 1.7 lakh tonnes in June; 1.43 lakh tonnes against 1.6 lakh tonnes in July; and 1.55 lakh tonnes against 1.7 lakh tonnes in August.
The Minister attributed these supply issues primarily to delays in finalizing tenders for urea imports and the global instability caused by ongoing geopolitical conflicts, specifically mentioning the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Iran wars. These factors have inadvertently compounded the challenges faced by farmers.
Looking ahead, the state expects additional urea shipments. On Friday, September 26, 9,864 tonnes of urea are scheduled to arrive at ports, followed by another 9,674 tonnes on Saturday. These crucial supplies are coming from various companies including CIL, IPL-Gangavaram, NFL-Vizag, IPL-Jupiter, IFFCO, Narmada, NBCL-Symphony, and SPIC, and will be promptly transported to key railway rake points in Warangal, Mancherial, Gadwal, Karimnagar, Pandillapalli, Jadcharla, and Thimmapur.
Furthermore, Telangana anticipates receiving an additional 34,700 tonnes of urea from NFL-Mangala, CIL-Grace, IPL-Gangavaram, Jupiter, IPL-Rek Grace, SPIC, KRIBHCO, IPL-Jupiter, NBCL-Wadi, and CIL-Ruby by the end of the month.
Interestingly, the Minister highlighted that despite the supply challenges, urea sales in the state this year (including buffer and carry-over stocks) reached 9.5 lakh tonnes, slightly exceeding last Kharif season’s sales of 9.3 lakh tonnes.