Min BC Patil urges Centre to allocate additional 1 lakh tonne urea

PTI, Aug 27, 2020, 8:15 PM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka Agriculture Minister B C Patil on Thursday demanded that the Centre allocate extra 1 lakh tonne of urea to replenish the state buffer stock. He raised the demand in a meeting with Union Fertiliser Minister D V Sadananda Gowda here.

Replenishing the state buffer stock is necessary to ensure that farmers do not face shortage of urea in the ensuing rabi season in the state, he said.

In a representation made to the Union Fertiliser Minister, Patil explained that the state had kept a buffer stock of 1 lakh tonne of urea to manage unforeseen situations but that had been exhausted in view of the increase in the kharif sown area.

“I request you to kindly look into the matter personally and arrange to allot an additional 1 lakh tonne of urea to replenish the buffer stock so that in the ensuing rabi and summer seasons, there would be no shortage of urea at any point of time for the farmers of Karnataka,” Patil said.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has not deterred the farmers from carrying out regular farming operations. Total area sown to all kinds of kharif crops has increased by 20 per cent to 68.26 lakh hectare till the third week of August this year when compared to the previous five years average, he added.