Fertiliser black marketing alleged

Farmers accuse local admin of failing to act against hoarders

BAHAWALNAGAR:

The local administration’s inaction has pushed farmers into buying urea fertiliser off the black market. The illegal sale of urea is on the rise, while administrative officers are taking advantage instead of redressing the plight of farmers.

The artificial shortage of fertiliser will affect the yield per acre of wheat in the district this season. Farmers have lashed out at the administration, terming the current fertiliser shortage across the district as artificial and alleging that the nexus of the district administration and agriculture officials with hoarders is exacerbating the crisis at a time when fertiliser is vital for their crops.

Farmers have complained to the media that urea is available on the black market for between Rs5,000 to Rs5,500 per sack, which is Rs1,500 more than the official government rates. The rate and tehsil administration and government officers and hoarders are involved in it, the farmers alleged.

Speaking to the Express Tribune, farmers accused the local administration of using the fertiliser crisis as a political weapon. The administration is allegedly supplying fertiliser on the recommendation of certain politicians belonging to a particular political party or by taking bribes. In this crisis, the local mafia, which is reportedly engaged in looting and profiteering, has the full support of the local officers, while farmers are being treated discriminately.

In response to hundreds of complaints regarding the issue, the district administration set up urea sale points at the tehsil level around two weeks ago. However, these points were shut-down within three days for reasons known only to the authorities.

Read PM orders crackdown against fertiliser hoarders

Later, after negotiations with farmers’ organizations, stalls were set up across the district where urea was available at Rs4,000 per sack, around Rs500 more than the official rate. In view of the urgent need of urea for the crops, farmers agreed to buy fertiliser at this high rate, but after several days, the supply of fertiliser to these stalls was also suspended.

One of the main reasons behind the urea crisis is said to be its low supply compared to the rising demand across the district. The situation has worsened due to alleged malpractice in the distribution of urea by the revenue and agriculture officials. An official, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the assistant director of the agriculture department, Falak Sher, is reportedly working with the hoarder mafia and making money by illegally selling fertiliser.

A farmer shared a video, in which fertiliser was secretly being stocked in a warehouse during the day time, while fertiliser is supposed to be stocked under the supervision of the Agriculture department and District Administration.

According to sources, several private individuals are taking slips of 50 to 100 sacks the from Assistant Commissioner's Office and Assistant Director of Agriculture Falak Sher on a daily basis and extracting this urea fertiliser, creating artificial inflation in the market. In this way, instead of giving relief to the poor farmers, artificial inflation is being created. There is a fear of hampered wheat production in the district due to the shortage and alleged malpractice at the hands of the local administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2024.