Karnataka's Fertiliser Crisis: Supply and Demand Clash

BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai has sounded the alarm over a critical fertiliser shortage in Karnataka, stressing that the issue has intensified due to a favorable monsoon, elevating demand for urea. He reports that Union Minister J P Nadda has committed to dispatching 1.35 lakh metric tonnes of urea within the next 10 to 15 days to alleviate the crisis.

Bommai accused the state agriculture department of failing to anticipate the heightened demand prompted by early rains, resulting in mismanagement and inefficiencies in distribution. Farmers have been forced to queue long hours and pay inflated prices, with wealthier farmers allegedly securing more urea than smaller cultivators, further worsening the imbalance.

Despite the Centre's efforts to ensure supply up to the railway yards, Bommai criticised the state's handling of last-mile distribution. He urged that co-operative societies be leveraged to distribute the stock effectively and called for stricter enforcement against unlawful link-sales by dealers, accusing the state government of turning a blind eye to these issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)