Farmers demand cut in urea prices

Rice and cotton crops may suffer.

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has called upon the government to press fertiliser companies to reduce prices of urea in the market.

This was said by SCA President Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar in a meeting on Friday.

Sales of urea – a type of fertiliser – fell three per cent during 2010 but retail prices averaged around 11 per cent higher at Rs853 per bag during the year.

Qamar also urged the government to provide farmers with better quality seeds for the cultivation of cotton crop.

Qamar said that the Kharif season is going to start, but high cost of fertiliser and other inputs was creating difficulties for the growers in cultivation of crops. “Rice and cotton crops will also suffer if fertiliser prices are not brought down,” he added. Growers attending the meeting also reminded the government that wheat harvest had begun in Sindh province and procurement centres should be set up to facilitate them.

SCA also supported the call of sugarcane growers for implementation of an agreement reached with the Sindh cane commissioner and the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Tando Muhammad Khan on procurement price of sugarcane.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2011.