The Telangana government has asked the Centre to increase the allotment of urea for the ensuing Rabi season, spread across October 2018 to March 2019, by 1.6 lakh tonnes keeping in view the expected increase in cultivation of all crops in the second crop season of 2018-19 farming year.
At the zonal conference held by the Department of Fertilizers (DoF) at New Delhi in the first week of this month, Telangana was allocated 6.5 lakh tonnes of urea for the Rabi season.
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The allocation is scheduled to be supplied in 1.2 lakh tonnes each in October and November, 1.1 lakh tonnes in December and one lakh tonnes each from January to March in 2019.
Against the DoF allotment of 6.5 lakh tonnes for the Rabi season, Telangana has asked allotment of 8.1 lakh tonnes. However, the State government fears that depletion in buffer stock of 3 lakh tonnes owing to excess use of the fertilizer by the farming community in the ongoing Kharif season would affect seamless availability of urea to farmers during the Rabi season.
“Cultivation of crops in the ongoing Kharif has already been taken up in 41.39 lakh hectares including paddy in over 10.32 lakh ha and availability of water in major irrigation sources is also expected to keep Rabi cultivation high between 13 lakh ha and 14 lakh ha,” a senior Agriculture Department official said.
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Buffer stock
The State government has already directed Telangana State Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd (TS-Markfed), the nodal agency to procure, pre-position and distribution of fertilizers in the State, to maintain 3 lakh tonnes of urea as buffer stock to ensure its timely supply to farmers.
“In view of receipt of good rains several reservoirs are full and the area under paddy cultivation has been very high this Kharif season resulting in higher usage of urea for top- dressing of the crop”, the senior officials said.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the Secretary of DoF in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers on September 18, Agriculture Production Commissioner of Telangana C. Parthasarathi has requested the former to allot 1.6 lakh tonnes of urea over and above the allocation already made for October and November months to meet the increase in demand and to maintain proper buffer stock.