Rabi crop cultivation starts amid fertiliser shortage

The Rabi crops cultivation has started in Umarkot district of Sindh, but farmers and small landowners find themselves in an inescapable predicament due to the scarcity of urea fertiliser and its rampant sale in the black market.

Preparations are in full swing for the cultivation of Rabi season crops, including wheat, springer, vadaf, and others in Umarkot district. Farmers and small landowners have started preparing and leveling their farmlands in anticipation of the cultivation season.

However, the unavailability of urea fertiliser in the market, coupled with rampant black market practices, has plunged the agricultural community into deep anxiety. This situation threatens to impact the wheat production target for this season.

Reports indicate that a 50kg bag of urea is currently being sold in the market for a price far beyond the company's official rate of Rs3,500. Similarly, a 50kg bag of DIP is fetching Rs11,591 in the market, compared to the company rate of Rs1,000. Despite the exorbitant price hike of Rs200 to 500, urea remains elusive in the market.

Influential fertiliser dealers are suspected of hoarding urea, disappearing it from the market and their warehouses. Instead, they are storing it in the warehouses of various farmers in the area, where it is sold at exorbitant black-market prices to select influential farmers.

Several fertiliser dealers have pointed fingers at the fertiliser companies, blaming them for the ongoing crisis. They argue that the shortage has arisen due to the failure of the fertiliser companies to supply the required quantity of urea on time.

Moreover, they claim that the companies have imposed unwarranted conditions on them, bundling urea with other unnecessary fertilisers that are difficult to sell, resulting in financial losses.

In response to the situation, the Sindh Department of Agriculture and the local administration are actively monitoring the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2023.