Fertiliser review committee to take strict action against hoarders

Fertiliser review committee to take strict action against hoarders
Fertiliser review committee to take strict action against hoarders

ISLAMABAD, Nov 22 (APP):The Fertiliser Review Committee on Monday asked the provincial governments to take strict action against hoarders and those engaged in black marketing of fertilisers.

The minister expressed his deep concern over the hoarding of an essential commodity for farmers and asked the provincial governments to take strict action against hoarders and those engaged in black marketing of fertilisers.

Seeking to allay issues related to supply of crop nutrients, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar chaired the high-level fertilizer review meeting, said a press release issued here.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, and Minister for Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam.Representatives of fertiliser manufacturers also participated in the meeting.

The minister stated that the government took all measures including uninterrupted supply of gas to fertiliser plants to ensure well-timed availability of urea fertiliser to farmers at affordable prices; but the government would not tolerate market exploitation by fertiliser dealers, he added.

He urged representatives of the fertiliser industry to blacklist such exploiters to smoothen the supply chain of urea countrywide.

He said that the government is closely monitoring distribution and supply of fertilisers to ensure soil nutrients are made available to farmers at affordable prices during rabi season.

He also formed the task force committee to monitor the situation pertaining to supply side, marketing balance and regional diversion plan to fill the gap between the supply and demand of urea across the country.

On the occasion the meeting discussed the urea supply and demand position in the country.
It was brought to the attention of the Chair that different dealers had hoarded 4.5 lac tonne urea and gained an absorptive profit of Rs 50 per bag of urea.

The meeting was also told that owing to current stock of urea, the fresh consignment of 100,000 MT urea will be arriving in the first week of December in the country.

The fertiliser manufacturers commended the positive role of the government for ensuring gas supplies to urea plants for production enhancement across the country.

They reaffirmed that fertiliser manufacturers would support the government’s measures to protect the farmers in the supply chain of soil nutrients.

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