Bengaluru, Sep 17 || AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, calling for the immediate supply of 3.36 lakh metric tonnes of pending urea fertilizer to Karnataka.
The demand comes amid an early onset of the monsoon and an accelerated Kharif sowing season in the state.
Surjewala, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, stated, "India is an agrarian country, with farmers forming the backbone of our economy. In Karnataka, the monsoon has arrived early this year, with rainfall about three per cent above normal, prompting the sowing season to begin sooner than expected."
He stated, "For the year 2025–26, the state has set a target of sowing over 114.40 lakh hectares, aiming to produce 160.68 lakh tonnes of food grains and oilseeds. For the Kharif season, the sowing target was 82.50 lakh hectares, of which 81.85 lakh hectares have already been sown."
The estimated demand for various chemical fertilizers during the Kharif season is 26.77 lakh metric tonnes, but there is a shortage of 3.36 lakh metric tonnes of urea, he said.