State urges Centre to rationalise price of fertilizers for balanced use

The Telangana government has asked the central government to address the issue of fertilizer pricing imbalance, pressing for a rationalization of the costs of DAP, complex, and urea fertilizers. The concern is that the significant price variation between these fertilizers has been driving farmers to opt for urea, despite its substandard utility.

During a recent meeting, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao highlighted that this indiscriminate use of urea, available at a much lower price than other fertilizers, is not only harming soil fertility but also impacting the quality of produce and its demand in international markets. He pointed out that the use of urea in Telangana has seen a substantial rise in recent years, with its consumption on soils/crops reaching 20.7 lakh tonnes in 2025-26, up from 14 lakh tonnes in 2015-16.

The minister emphasized that the supply of subsidized urea is prompting farmers to heavily rely on it, resulting in an unbalanced composition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil. Specifically, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in Telangana soils stands at 12.6:4.8:1, whereas the recommended proportions are 4:2:1.

He explained that a 45 kg urea bag is sold at a price range of ₹240 to ₹266, while a 50 kg DAP bag costs ₹1,350 and a 19:19:19 complex fertilizer bag is priced at ₹1,750. Due to these considerable price discrepancies, farmers are unduly using urea and DAP without considering the necessary balance of soil nutrients.

The minister pointed out that the farming community is overusing phosphorus and nitrogen, in excess of the recommended dosages for paddy, maize, and cotton crops. This imbalance in fertilizer application has led to a deficiency of micro nutrients like zinc and boron, contributing to pest and disease problems.