Telangana to launch fertiliser booking app for farmers ahead of Kharif season
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday, 16 June directed state officials to develop a dedicated mobile application enabling farmers to book all categories of fertilisers ahead of the upcoming Kharif crop season. The move, announced at a high-level agriculture review meeting in Hyderabad, is aimed at improving transparency and speed in fertiliser distribution across the state.
How the App-Based System Will Work
Under the proposed framework, farmers will be able to book fertilisers — including urea — directly through the app. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed that urea booked via the platform be distributed through the Rythu Vedikas (Farmers' Platforms), with responsibility for urea distribution assigned to district Additional Collectors. The Rythu Vedikas are also to be developed into full-service centres where farmers can register their details and purchase seeds and fertilisers at a single location.
Push to Secure More Fertilisers from the Centre
Revanth Reddy instructed Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao to write regularly to the Centre regarding the allocation of urea and other fertilisers required for the Kharif season. He specifically emphasised the need to press the Centre to direct a larger share of output from the Ramagundam fertiliser plant to Telangana. The Chief Minister also proposed convening a cross-party meeting of Members of Parliament to highlight the state's fertiliser situation, and indicated that a delegation of ministers and MPs may travel to Delhi to formally petition the Centre if required.
High-Level Committee for Procurement Oversight
Beyond fertilisers, the Chief Minister ordered the immediate formation of a high-level committee to oversee the entire agricultural procurement cycle — from seed distribution and crop sowing to produce estimation and final grain procurement under Minimum Support Prices (MSP). The committee will function under the Agriculture Secretary and include the Director of Agriculture, the Managing Director of Civil Supplies, and the Secretary of the Planning Department. It will also facilitate the adoption of modern technology at each stage of the process.
Officials were further directed to record accurate field-level data on which farmer has sown which crop and the cultivation extent in each village — information that will feed into procurement planning and help prevent bottlenecks during harvest.
Fine-Grain Paddy Push and Seed Availability
Noting that a bonus is being extended to farmers cultivating fine-grain paddy, Revanth Reddy ordered that seven varieties of fine-grain paddy seeds be made available at subsidised rates through Rythu Vedikas. The Agriculture Department was instructed to maintain comprehensive data on farmers growing fine-variety paddy and to have a clear picture of expected grain yields. An advance action plan is also to be drawn up to address contingencies such as unseasonal rains, weighing disputes, transportation delays, storage shortfalls, and marketing challenges during the procurement period.
Who Was at the Meeting
The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Rajya Sabha Member Vem Narendar Reddy, Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, representatives of the Farmers' Commission, the Agricultural University, and senior agricultural experts. The breadth of the gathering signals that the state government is treating this as a priority policy exercise rather than a routine administrative review.
With Kharif sowing set to begin shortly, the pace at which the app is developed and the committee operationalised will determine whether these directives translate into tangible relief for Telangana's farming communities.