Hyderabad: Telangana will launch a digital urea booking system to ensure a transparent, timely, and farmer-friendly supply, said Dr B. Gopi, Agriculture Director, on Tuesday.
Addressing a media conference at the Agriculture Department office, Dr Gopi said science and technology must support agriculture. Therefore, the department decided to introduce a digital urea booking system linked to land records and the e-pass mechanism to prevent diversion and misuse.
The National Informatics Centre developed the app, which will be managed by the Agriculture Department. Under this system, farmers can book urea from home using their mobile number and Pattadar Passbook. Meanwhile, the department has already started sharing updates with farmers through a dedicated WhatsApp channel.
Under the digital urea booking system, livestock details will be visible at the State, district, mandal, village, and dealer levels. Moreover, officials designed the booking process to be as simple as online ticket booking. Urea supply will follow crop-wise needs for paddy, cotton, maize, chilli, and other crops.
Digital urea booking system to regulate supply and prevent misuse
However, Dr Gopi warned that wrong crop details could cause problems at the time of purchase. He said small farmers would receive urea in a single phase, while large farmers would get supplies in two or three phases within one month.
At the same time, tenant farmers will also be eligible under the digital urea booking system through OTP-based consent from landowners. Accordingly, authorities instructed dealers to sell urea strictly based on confirmed bookings. The app will cover only urea, while DAP and complex fertilisers will continue under the existing process.
In addition, dealers must update stock positions and lorry arrivals in the app. Farmers can then collect urea using the booking ID, which will remain valid for 24 hours. Agriculture officials, dealers, and women self-help groups will assist farmers in using the system.
Currently, the State has 10,000 urea distribution centres, of which 30 per cent are government-run, and 70 per cent are private. Furthermore, officials plan to add more centres. Telangana needs 10 lakh metric tonnes of urea between October and March, while availability stands at 4.5 lakh metric tonnes.
Meanwhile, Dr Gopi said the Ramagundam fertiliser plant faced technical issues. As a result, delayed supply and advance lifting led to shortages during the last season.