The fertiliser shortage in Uttar Pradesh has spiralled into a statewide crisis (and it isn't the only state affected, of course), triggering protests in multiple districts and exposing the gulf between government claims and ground realities.
From Ayodhya to Barabanki, Balrampur to Deoria, farmers queued for hours under the blazing sun for urea — only to return empty-handed. In several places, the chaos turned into violence, with the police resorting to a lathi charge to disperse angry crowds.
On 20 August, Wednesday, tension flared at Kurawan Cooperative Farmers’ Centre in Ayodhya’s Khandaasa block, where baton-wielding police were deployed to control the situation.
In another incident, a secretary at Jajwara-68 Cooperative Society was injured during a scuffle.
Farmers also staged demonstrations at Teliya Ganj after failing to procure urea.
“We have been standing in line since dawn, but when our turn came, they said the stock was over. How are we supposed to save our paddy without fertiliser?” asked Ram Kishore, a farmer from Sultanpur.
Hopes that China’s visiting foreign minister Wang Yi would have better news for rural India on the arrested supply of urea came a cropper yesterday, 19 August, Tuesday — but incidents of police–farmer clashes didn't really wait for that anway.
The Dance of the Dragon and the Elephant in Delhi breaks the ice?So, back to Uttar Pradesh... In Balrampur, Sitapur, Gonda and Amethi, serpentine queues stretched outside cooperative societies from early morning. In Siddharthnagar, urea distribution was done against tokens, under heavy police presence, but hundreds of farmers still returned disappointed.
Allegations of black-market profiteering have added fuel to the fire. While a bag of urea costs Rs 267 at cooperative societies, private dealers are reportedly selling it at Rs 400–500.
“If the government claims there is enough stock, why are we being forced to buy urea at double the price in the black market?” asked Mohammad Irfan, a farmer from Maharajganj.
In Deoria, 161 cooperative societies received only 15,636 metric tonnes — against the requirement of 17,000 metric tonnes.
In Basti, distribution came to a halt after POS machines malfunctioned.
Officials later admitted that by late July, fertiliser distribution had already exceeded the target by 56 per cent, raising suspicion of massive irregularities.
Political opponents of the the Yogi Adityanath government have been quick to flay the administration. The Samajwadi Party (SP) accused it of “criminal negligence” and demanded immediate intervention from the Centre. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement, “The government is busy in propaganda while farmers are standing in queues and being beaten with lathis for urea. This is proof that the BJP government has failed both in governance and in protecting farmers’ interests.”
His post on X from 19 August — coinciding with China's foreign minister Wang Yi's meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi — read: "Told you so... there would be such a BJP-induced Kaliyug."
The Congress also joined the attack, alleging there were large-scale black-market operations enjoying official patronage. State Congress president Ajay Rai said, “The fertiliser meant for farmers is being diverted and sold at higher prices by private dealers. This is not a shortage, this is corruption.”
Meanwhile, the government continues to downplay the crisis. According to the agriculture department, Uttar Pradesh has 16 lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser, including 6 lakh tonnes of urea, and fresh rakes are expected to arrive within two days.
The state’s agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi defended the administration, saying: “Every district has sufficient stock for 7–10 days. Additional supplies are on the way. We appeal to farmers not to hoard and not to panic. Strict action is being taken to stop black-marketing.”
But for farmers staring at wilting crops during the crucial sowing season, such assurances ring hollow. With the crisis showing no signs of immediate resolution, Opposition parties are intensifying their attack, sensing an opportunity to corner the ruling BJP ahead of the assembly by-polls later this year.
As queues lengthen, tempers flare and the police’s lathis become a common sight at fertiliser outlets, the shortage has turned into both an agrarian emergency and a political flashpoint in Uttar Pradesh.
