Lucknow: A severe shortage of urea has triggered chaos across Uttar Pradesh, with farmers waiting in long queues outside cooperative societies and private outlets. Despite supply claims, fertilizer continues to disappear from local markets, while smugglers make huge profits by routing it into Nepal.
According to officials, urea priced at `266.50 per bag in India is being sold at `1,500-2,000 once smuggled into Nepal, where demand in the Madhesh region far exceeds supply. The lucrative margin has encouraged traders and middlemen to collude with private fertilizer sellers, cooperative secretaries, and even some farmers to push stocks across the border.
Districts worst hit include Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Siddharth Nagar, and Maharajganj, all lying along the Indo-Nepal border. Local reports suggest smuggling routes from Khunwa to Renghiya in Maharajganj and smaller entry points in Shravasti and Balrampur are active despite surveillance. Farmers in these UP districts now face acute shortages, directly impacting sowing schedules.
Devi Patan division commissioner Shashi Bhushan Lal Shukla confirmed that district magistrates and superintendents of police in border districts have been directed to coordinate with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to check smuggling. He said strict action would be taken if illegal transport is detected.
.jpg)
Meanwhile, in Shravasti, smugglers reportedly purchase bags for ₹400–500 from local shops before transporting them by bicycle through back routes into Nepal, where each bag earns profits of up to `1,500.
