Hyderabad: Anacute shortage of urea across Telangana, and that too during the peak of the Kharif season, has triggered an unseemly war of words between the State and the Centre, with thousands of distressed farmers, caught in the vortex of cut-throat politics, struggling day and night to secure supplies of the essential fertilizer.

While the Telangana government holds the Centre responsible for ‘failing to provide adequate stocks’, the Union government insists that it has “extended more than sufficient support” to the state. Urea, the cheapest and most widely used fertilizer in India, plays a crucial role in enhancing productivity of food grains. With normal supply no longer in sight or perhaps deliberately disrupted, farmers across Telangana are queuing up and spending hours at distribution centres only to return home empty-handed.

Speaking to ‘The Hans India’, Chandrasekhar, a farmer from Mahabubnagar district who came to attend AgriBiz Connect 2025 organised by industry body Assocham here, said that though he has been cultivating 5–10 acres, he was denied adequate urea.“Farmers are forced to stand in long queues for just a few bags. Bio-fertilizers are an alternative, but their supply too is limited,” he said, while suggesting that the Centre must ramp up imports. Instead of indulging in political blame game, the Union and state governments should jointly address the crux of the shortage as farmers were suffering a lot, he added.

Aditya Mekala, a small farmer from Kandwada near Chevella, said the scarcity has pushed many in his village toward organic farming. He has been cultivating vegetables and mango orchards. He expressed his hope of tapping export markets, while blaming both the governments for neglecting farmers’ needs.

Industry voices also highlighted the crisis. Vijay, CEO of AgriFriend, estimated a 30 per cent shortage in the state and called for immediate imports from markets in nations such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the UAE. “India is a mass consumer of fertilizers. The Centre must negotiate better and ensure stable supply,” he said, adding that farmers adopting sustainable methods could still benefit from improved soil fertility, higher yields, and lower input costs.

The political blame game, however, continues. Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy alleged that urea supplied by the Centre was being diverted and sold on the black market. “Telangana had 2.04 lakh tonnes of opening stock for the Kharif. Yet, the state is creating artificial scarcity and panic,” he claimed, pointing out that despite global price hikes, the Centre has capped the cost at Rs 265 per bag for over a decade, subsidizing farmers at a massive cost. Countering the charges against the state, Telangana Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu reassured cultivators that the state government would ensure uninterrupted supply. “There will be no shortage of urea. Opposition parties are spreading baseless claims to mislead farmers. The government stands firmly with them,” he said in a post on his handle on X. As accusations fly thick and fast between Hyderabad and New Delhi, Telangana’s farmers remain on edge, grappling with the agonizing reality of long queues and insufficient supply. With sowing season underway, timely resolution is critical - not just for crop yields, but also for restoring farmers’ confidence in the system meant to support them, say experts.