Farmers staged protests in several mandals on Friday demanding the immediate scrapping of the state government’s new urea app and the return to the old distribution system. In Ankashapur village of Velpur mandal, farmers held a dharna and said the app was causing severe hardship. They insisted that the app should be withdrawn at once and complained that government assurances about smooth supply were not being followed in practice.
After police reached the protest site, farmers said they would end the sit-in only if the district collector came and gave a clear assurance. Later, Balakonda CI Jan Reddy and agriculture officials visited Ankashapur and held talks with the farmers. Following a promise that six lorries of urea would be sent to the village on Saturday, the farmers called off their protest.
In another protest at the Birkur mandal center, farmers from nearby villages blocked the Banswada-Pothangal main road demanding urea supplies. They had booked urea on Thursday and gathered at the Gromore fertilizer shop early Friday morning. When the shop had not opened even by 11 a.m., the farmers sat on the road in anger, disrupting traffic. Police persuaded them to end the roadblock. After the shop was opened, farmers clashed with the owners when the e-pass machine reportedly did not work, leading to another round of police intervention. Eventually, the police arranged for the urea to be distributed. Local sarpanch Dharmateja supported the farmers during the protest.
In Ditchpalli mandal center, farmers queued up for urea bags and expressed frustration over the shortage by placing their slippers in a line as a symbolic protest. They said the urea app was making life difficult for farmers and demanded that it be removed immediately. Many farmers, especially those who are illiterate or unfamiliar with mobile apps, said they were unable to book urea through the digital system and were facing serious problems.
The protesting farmers also criticized the state leadership, accusing the government of ignoring agricultural issues and failing to address their concerns. They said the new app-based system was not practical for ordinary farmers and called for urea to be supplied through the traditional method without delays or technical hurdles.
