Hans News Service Guntur

Districtcollector CM Sai Kanth Varma announced that special task force committees will be constituted at both district and mandal levels to ensure that farmers do not face any shortage of fertilisers such as urea and DAP under any circumstances.

He was addressing a review meeting with district and mandal level officials of the agriculture department and allied sectors at the collector’s office here on Tuesday.

Keeping the upcoming Kharif season in view, he instructed officials to ensure adequate availability of fertilisers and seeds for farmers. He directed authorities to continuously monitor fertiliser stocks and distribution and take stringent action against illegal hoarding and attempts to create artificial shortages. Stating that sufficient stocks of urea are available in the district, he warned that stern action would be taken against concerned officials if even a single complaint is received from farmers regarding non-availability of fertilisers. Special Task Force teams comprising officials from the Revenue, Agriculture and Police Departments will conduct meetings in every mandal and take necessary measures to ensure proper distribution of urea.

He said efforts are being made in collaboration with the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University to reduce cultivation costs and significantly enhance farmers’ incomes. He stressed that increasing farmers’ income should be the primary objective of agriculture officials. He directed the officials to promote high-value horticultural crops, along with value-added agricultural practices, to improve farm profitability.