Country faces over 200,000 tons of fertiliser shortfall

Shortage blamed on Middle East situation, gas supply disruption

ISLAMABAD:

The Middle East conflict and gas shortages have exacerbated the urea shortage, adding to farmers' woes as they grapple with rising crop cultivation costs.

The government has acknowledged a fertilizer shortfall of more than 200,000 tonnes against the country's demand.

This was disclosed during Question Hour in the National Assembly. The government said due to the Middle East situation, gas supply was affected, causing two urea plants in the country to remain temporarily closed, resulting in a shortfall of over 200,000 tons of fertilizer availability and creating shortage issues in the market.

During Question Hour, Parliamentary Secretary Shaista Khan told the House that agricultural production depends on fertilizer availability, therefore any increase or decrease in fertilizer prices and supply is a matter of concern for the government. The government is also relying on imports to meet fertilizer requirements, with about 50% of the country's needs being met from abroad. Due to the Middle East crisis, fertilizer prices have also increased.

She said the Ministry of National Food Security and Research gives priority to farmers' needs and various projects are being launched to solve their problems, including provision of easy loans to farmers so they can meet their agricultural needs.

In reply to a supplementary question, the secretary said that on the issue of adulteration of wheat with sand and soil in K-P, the concerned minister is planning has been done to take action against those involved in supply of substandard wheat.

She further said that work is underway at NARC for development and research of new seed varieties. To cope with climate change challenges, research is being conducted on seeds compatible with wheat and water scarcity conditions to enable Pakistan's agriculture sector to combat effects of climate change.