ISLAMABAD, Aug 19 (APP):Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday said the government would review and lift the ban on the sale, purchase, storage and transportation of urea in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after introducing an effective trace-and-track system. Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Asad Qaiser, Faisal Amin Khan and Shahram Khan, he said the ban had been imposed by the provincial government …
Govt to review urea ban in KP after trace & track system
ISLAMABAD, Aug 19 (APP):Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday said the government would review and lift the ban on the sale, purchase, storage and transportation of urea in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after introducing an effective trace-and-track system.
Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Asad Qaiser, Faisal Amin Khan and Shahram Khan, he said the ban had been imposed by the provincial government after terrorist incidents in which urea was used as an ingredient in explosives.
The notice concerned the shortage and increase in the price of urea fertilizer in the province.
The minister said urea was an essential agricultural input and its availability was particularly important during the current crop season.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa consumed around 300,000 metric tonnes of urea annually. The province accounted for about 4.8 per cent of the country’s total urea consumption, he added.
Overall, urea accounted for around 65pc of the fertilizer used in Pakistan, Rana Tanveer said.
He said the government was working on a comprehensive trace-and-track system to ensure that urea reached genuine farmers and was not misused for unlawful purposes.
A committee had been formed to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a mechanism to track urea from manufacturers and distributors to retailers and consumers, he added.
The minister said the committee had been given one month to prepare the framework and submit its recommendations.
He assured the House that the government was aware of farmers’ concerns and would make every effort to resolve the issue at the earliest.
“The availability of urea is a basic requirement for farmers, particularly for crops such as maize and wheat,” he said.
He said the government was keen to resolve the issue without compromising security concerns.
Two meetings of the relevant committee had already been held, while work on the proposed SOPs and tracking mechanism was under way, he added.
Rana Tanveer said the federal government was providing full support to the provincial administration in resolving administrative and governance-related issues.
