Industry Woes: ‘Fertiliser shortage harms farmers’

FAISALABAD: The District Farmers Association has expressed concern and dismay over shortage of fertiliser, claiming that scarcity of the commodity is not only causing distress among the farming community, but is also aggravating their miseries.

Talking to reporters on Monday, the association’s President, Mian Muhammad Tahir, said that due to acute shortage of fertiliser, growers were facing countless problems in sowing their crops. Despite this dire situation, he said, the government claimed that there was no shortage of fertiliser and 0.2 million tons had already been imported in the current season. However, he said fertiliser was unavailable at reasonable rates.

According to Tahir, fertiliser dealers had created the shortage and were selling a bag of urea for Rs1,500. This “repetitive pattern” clearly reflects the government’s lack of preparedness year after year, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2011.