Minister for monitoring urea supply

Asks authorities to identify factors behind fertiliser black market

ISLAMABAD:

Provincial authorities should vigilantly monitor borders to avoid anomalies in inter-provincial urea supply and rationalise district-wise delivery of the commodity for market correction, directed Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar.

At a meeting of the Fertiliser Review Committee on Monday, he asked the provincial departments and fertiliser manufacturers to identify the factors behind black marketing and oversupply of urea to avoid any market stress amid the Rabi sowing season.

He commended efforts of the industry for ensuring adequate urea supplies and measures taken by different departments against hoarders/ profiteers.

“This has significantly reduced urea rates, bringing them closer to the notified price of Rs1,768 a bag,” said a statement.

The price stability would provide some relief to the market, the minister underlined, adding that urea prices were hovering around Rs2,500-2,800 a bag in the past few weeks due to black marketing/ profiteering by hoarders.

He was of the view that pro-agricultural policies of the government had not only scaled up domestic production of urea but also lowered its prices as compared to the global market.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2021.

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