RAHIM YAR KHAN: After the reports of the shortage, price hike and hoarding of fertiliser, the district administration has taken several measures to ensure urea availability at government notified rates, says a handout by the deputy director of the public relations on Monday.

A meeting was called by Deputy Commissioner Nouman Yousuf to address the complaints about the overcharging, hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers. Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Sidra Saleem told the meeting that complaints were being dealt with without any exception. She said that genuine farmers were being facilitated to the maximum extent and were being supplied fertilizer as per their requirement after verification by Agriculture Department teams.

Furthermore, the sale of urea in large quantities was being discouraged, except for the genuine farmers, as there were reports of further sale of these bags by middlemen at higher rates. Certain pressure groups have been pushing the dealers and the Agriculture Department in Sadiqabad for purchase of large quantities which has been discouraged.

The handout says the same groups are spreading disinformation through the media, whereas the Agriculture Department and the district administration are working in close liaison with the Special Branch to identify any hoarding and black marketing or overcharging and immediate actions are taken on violations.

She added the closure of the Fatima Fertilizers Plant for annual maintenance contributed to the shortage of urea supply to the district.

The plant has recently resumed its operations. District and tehsil control rooms have been established to monitor the prices of fertilizer and complaints received are strictly being dealt with. She said inspection of godowns was being carried out by joint teams of the revenue and agriculture department.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2021