After waving off loans, CM Ashok Gehlot focuses on urea availability

Urea shortage in the state has made the government on a run. A day after chief minister Ashok Gehlot ordered the officials to ensure sufficient availability of urea, agriculture secretary Abhay Kumar conducted a high-level meeting of the urea suppliers and the officials on Friday. He has also written a letter to the additional secretary of the ministry of fertilizer and chemicals seeking urea availability in the state.

Abhay Kumar informed that in a week’s time, 34 rakes of railway carrying more than one lakh metric tonnes of urea will reach while in 24 hours, 33000 metric tonnes of urea will be supplied in Alwar, Chanderia, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Hindaun, Lalgarh and Suratgarh. He said that the officials of the department of agriculture will ensure availability of urea as per the demand of the farmers.

He said that seeing the high demand of urea in the state, a request has been made to the union government for additional allotment of 60,000 metric tone of urea so that the farmers can be given urea well in time. Shriram and Chambal fertilizer companies have been asked to supply urea by road also so that continuous supply is made. In Hadoti region, farmers have been lining up since morning to get urea.

Due to crunch in the government supply of urea at Kray Vikray Sahkari Samiti, farmers are forced to buy urea from private dealers paying Rs 320 -Rs 285 for 45 kg urea bag instead of the government rate of Rs 266 per bag. Such is the dismal state of farmers who are forced to queue up for urea purchase in remote areas of Hadoti region including Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota. The area for Rabi crop cultivation spans across 11 hectares in Hadoti while a similar situation is being seen in Tonk too.

Meanwhile, in the letter written to the additional secretary of the ministry of fertilizer and chemicals, it has been informed that till December, 7.64 lakh metric tonnes of urea was to be supplied to the state, however, till December 21, 6.03 lakh metric tonnes has been supplied. 

Earlier on Thursday, chief minister Ashok Gehlot had said that the farmers won’t face the scarcity of urea and for this coordination is being done with the union government to ensure that supply of urea is made. On his orders, chief secretary DB Gupta talked to union fertilizer secretary over the phone and requested him to make urea available in sufficient quantity.  

The Supply Crunch

Due to crunch in the government supply of urea at Kray Vikray Sahkari Samiti, farmers are forced to buy urea from private dealers paying Rs320 -Rs285 for 45 kg urea bag instead of the government rate of Rs266 per bag. Such is the dismal state of farmers who are forced to queue up for urea purchase in remote areas of Hadoti region including Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota.