Union Minister for Agriculture Shivaraj Singh Chauhan has assured Karnataka, facing urea shortage, of making arrangements to supply the remaining quantum of fertilizers from the allocated share to help tide over the shortage, according to Karnataka Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy.

In an official note, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the Union Minister had made the assurance at a video conference of State Agriculture Ministers. Responding to an appeal by him to make up for the short supply from the Centre, the Union Minister had said that he would talk to the Secretary to the Union Fertilizers’ Ministry and make arrangements, he noted.

At the videoconference, Karnataka again blamed the Centre’s short supply for the urea shortage in the State, and appealed to it to immediately provide the remaining stock of 2.67 lakh tonnes.

Giving the break-up of the urea shortage, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy told Mr. Chauhan that the shortage in the State stood at 1.27 lakh tonnes in July and 1.4 lakh tonnes in August.

Pointing out that the south-west monsoon is the mainstay for the State’s agricultural sector and sowing would gain steam by August-September that marks the closing phase of this season, the Minister expressed concern that the sowing and standing crops may get hit if farmers did not get adequate fertilizers on time.

He also noted that urea was in great demand as it was being used as a “top-dose fertilizer” for most of the crops.

Emphasising the point that shortage of urea and DAP had become a national problem, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said Ministers from several States had raised issues related to urea shortage at the videoconference.

He also brought to the notice of Mr. Chauhan that the State government had begun the operations of University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences in Mandya from this academic year and appealed to him to expedite the process of bringing the new university under ICAR’s recognition so that the Central funds for development of the university could be availed.