190 tonnes of urea meant for farmers seized from black market sale in Bengaluru; BJP slams K'taka govt

Bengaluru, Dec 16 The sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized more than 190 tonnes of subsidised urea fertiliser, intended for farmers, from the black market on the outskirts of Karnataka's Bengaluru on Tuesday, officials said.

The DRI conducted raids at a godown in Arasinakunte near Nelamangala.

The raid followed specific information that subsidised urea, priced at Rs 266, was being sold in the black market for more than Rs 1,500.

The accused allegedly transported the urea, supplied by the Union government for farmers, illegally to the godown, replaced the sacks, and sold it at exorbitant prices.

Sources said that the racket was reportedly run with the collusion of officials from the Agriculture and Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) departments.

Reacting to the development in Belagavi, Leader of the Opposition and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader R. Ashoka said, "This is the biggest scam in the state. Nothing of this scale has happened in the past. Today, DRI officials have seized a huge quantity of urea. This is a matter of shame for the state government."

"The state government has repeatedly targeted the Centre over the supply of urea and alleged that the Centre has treated the state unfairly. I want to ask the Karnataka Ministers and the Chief Minister -- what do they have to say now?" BJP leader Ashoka asked.

He added, "The Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, supplies urea to the state, so how did it end up in the black market? It is being sold at ten times the original price. What action has been taken against the officials involved? The APMC Minister Shivanand Patil should be held accountable," he demanded.

The state government has repeatedly blamed the Central government for a urea shortage during the 2025 Kharif season, while the Centre has countered the claims, leading to a significant political disagreement and farmer protests in the state.

The Karnataka Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy has also described the urea shortage as a national problem.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the state Agriculture Minister wrote multiple times to the Union Minister J.P. Nadda, saying that the Union government had not supplied the full allocated amount of urea on time.

They claimed that the shortfall, along with an early monsoon and increased area under maize cultivation, created an acute crisis and unrest among farmers.

The state government said that it was owed a significant quantity of urea, urging the Union government to expedite the supply.

The Union Ministry of Fertilisers refuted Karnataka's claims, saying that it had ensured the availability of 8.7 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of urea against a pro-rata requirement of 6.3 lakh MT for the 2025 Kharif season.

The Union government said that the urea quantity supplied was sufficient and accused the state government of mismanagement.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor