Chandrababu Naidu reviews fertilizer supply, availability

Amaravati: With Andhra Pradesh too reportedly facing acute shortage of urea, and with Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers JP Nadda assuring Minister Lokesh recently that 29,000 tonnes of urea will be supplied to AP by August 21, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu held a review on Sunday to take stock of the situation.

During a teleconference with the Chief Secretary, DGP, Intelligence, Agriculture Department, and Vigilance officials to assess availability and distribution of fertilizers, the Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure that farmers do not face difficulties with fertilizer supply. He enquired about the district-wise availability of fertilizers, including urea. Officials briefed him on the current situation, assuring him that adequate stocks of fertilizers and urea are available to meet Kharif demand.

The Chief Minister asked about the volume of fertilizers being supplied through Markfed. He directed officials to reduce allocations to private dealers and increase supplies through Markfed.

He wanted officials to prepare a plan to ensure that roughly 70% of fertilizers reaches farmers through Markfed.

The Chief Minister stressed the importance of preventing diversion of fertilizers and ordered large-scale vigilance inspections to check stocks of urea and other fertilizers. He wanted checks to prevent diversion of urea for non-agricultural purposes. He suggested promotion of proper fertilizer usage among farmers.

Chandrababu Naidu urged officials to counter any negative propaganda about supplies of fertilizers. While acknowledging the need to correct any genuine issues, he directed them to identify those spreading false information and respond appropriately. He emphasized providing farmers with complete information on the availability of fertilizers, including urea.

The Chief Minister called for daily coordination among local, district, and state-level officials from the industries, transport, vigilance, police, and agriculture departments as well as district collectors. He advised them to form daily monitoring teams and coordinate with local public representatives if problems arise.

Chandrababu made it clear that officials should not hesitate to file cases against those diverting fertilizers to the black market. He ordered strict action, including the cancellation of licences, against dealers caught selling fertilizers at inflated prices or diverting them.

The CM also raised concerns about the real-time updating of information on the i-MFS portal, observing that data was not being updated regularly. He instructed officials to ensure continuous updates without excuses. He directed officials to investigate retailers with unusually high sales and frequent buyers, and to ensure adequate stocks at Rythu Seva Kendras (Farmer Service Centers) and cooperative societies. He emphasized that the bulk of fertilizers should be supplied through primary agricultural cooperative societies rather than through private dealers. Farmers should not have to wait for urea or fertilizer at retail centers or PACS, he underlined.