Bengaluru: BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister J P Nadda has assured that 1.35 lakh metric tonnes of urea required for Karnataka will be supplied within the next 10 to 15 days. The Haveri MP said he met Nadda and discussed the ongoing fertiliser shortage in the state.

“The minister immediately held discussions with officials and assured that action would be taken to ensure supply of 1.35 lakh metric tonnes of urea to Karnataka,” Bommai said in a statement. He said instructions would be issued to companies like Coromandel and Madras Fertilisers, and that supply would begin immediately.

“Today alone, 16,000 metric tonnes are being dispatched. A daily supply of 15,000 to 20,000 metric tonnes will continue,” he added. The former chief minister claimed farmers across the state are not receiving urea on time, adding that the issue is longstanding. This year, due to a favourable monsoon and pre-monsoon showers, there has been a significant increase in maize cultivation, with acreage rising by 1.5 per cent, he said. “The agriculture department is aware of this. Normally, demand for urea starts in July and extends through August, but rains began in the third week of June this year, advancing the demand,” he noted.

Bommai claimed that “repeated rainfall has forced farmers to apply urea multiple times, significantly increasing their financial burden.” In addition, he alleged that widespread weed growth in maize fields and a shortage of labour have compelled farmers to rely on herbicides, further increasing their expenses. Long queues outside fertiliser shops, both during the day and at night, have triggered frustration and protests in several districts, he charged. According to Bommai, the situation is critical in around eight districts and moderate in three to four others.

He criticised the agriculture department “for failing to anticipate weather conditions and maintain adequate buffer stock.” “Based on previous year’s fertiliser use, the department should have projected this year’s requirement and stocked accordingly,” he added.

Bommai insisted that while the Centre ensures the supply of fertilisers up to the nearest railway yard, it is the state’s responsibility to manage last-mile distribution. “Mismanagement has occurred at this stage. The agriculture department has failed to assess the actual demand,” he claimed. He also highlighted alleged corruption in fertiliser distribution, claiming that urea is available but inaccessible to many farmers. “Wealthy farmers are buying urea at inflated prices, while small and marginal farmers are forced to stand in queues. Hoarding and black marketing are rampant,” he alleged. According to Bommai, Karnataka currently has 1.35 lakh metric tonnes of urea in stock. If distributed properly—particularly through co-operative societies—it could ease the current crisis. He stressed that the Centre has clearly instructed that farmers should not be compelled to buy other fertilisers to receive urea.

“Dealers engaging in such link-sales should have their licences cancelled. Unfortunately, the state government has failed to act,” he alleged. Bommai claimed the total fertiliser demand for the Kharif season is 11.17 lakh metric tonnes. By the end of July, 6.25 lakh metric tonnes should have been distributed, but so far only 5.35 lakh metric tonnes have been supplied, he added. He further said that Karnataka currently has 8.82 lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser, and while the government claims to have distributed 7.74 lakh metric tonnes, it suggests there “was a buffer stock that was not utilised efficiently.”