HYDERABAD

Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao has instructed the Agriculture Department to keep a buffer stock of at least 3 lakh tonnes of urea by the month-end and educate farmers on the use of nano urea.

He held a meeting with the representatives of fertilizer companies, agriculture department and marketing department officials here on Monday to review the supply and stocking of urea including nano urea required for the coming kharif season. He told the officials to ensure that the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd supply at least 90% of the urea made there to Telangana itself.

The minister stated that 1.46 lakh tonnes of urea buffer stock was already there in the State along with 10,000 tonnes of DAP and other complex fertilizers. Against the indent placed by the State for 11.5 lakh tonnes of urea for the coming Kharif season, the Centre had allotted 10 lakh tonnes with supply of two lakh tonnes each in April, May and June, 1.5 lakh tonnes each in July and August and 1 lakh tonnes in September.

However, only 1.53 lakh tonnes of urea had reached the State in April against the allotment of 2 lakh tonnes and only 48,985 tonnes were supplied so far in May. By the time paddy transplantation begins in the first week of June, the plan was to maintain at least 3 lakh tonnes of urea stocks.

The minister asked the fertilizer companies which had not supplied the allotted quota to the State so far to meet the indented supply in time.

The minister said that based on the Telangana app, the Centre too had introduced an app for supply of subsidised fertilisers, and it would be implemented experimentally in two districts each in all the States. In Telangana, the Centre’s app would be implemented in Rangareddy and Medchal districts.

He told the agriculture department officials to make video films of farmers’ experience of using nano urea and telecast them as part of ‘rythu nestham’ programme every Tuesday.