BAHAWALNAGAR: The farmers in Bahawalnagar have declared the current urea shortage across the district as artificial and raised their voice against the administration, alleging that the nexus between revenue and agriculture officials with hoarders is exacerbating the crisis at a time when the fertiliser is vital for their crops.

The farmers, including Maqsud, Saeed, Anwar, Qamar, Ikhlaq Hussain, Manzoor, Akmal and Masood, have complained to the media the urea is available in the black market at a rate of Rs5,000 per bag, Rs1,500 more than the official rate and the government officials and hoarders were involved in it.

Talking to Dawn, Kisan Board Bahawalnagar chapter president Mian Nazeer Chakoka says the artificial crisis of urea fertiliser has affected almost the whole district; however, this situation is worse in Minchinabad and Chishtian.

He has accused the local administration of using this crisis as a political weapon, providing fertiliser mostly on the recommendation of certain politicians belonging to a specific political party or taking bribes.

Decry ‘artificial urea shortage,’ say feritiliser is being provided to select farmers on nod of a politician

He alleges that the politically-backed staffers of the Minchinabad assistant commissioner office were involved in this malpractice while the administration is reluctant to take action against them despite the repeated complaints and evidence provided to it.

Sources say that the urea is being supplied to select farmers on the recommendations of a politician while the rest of the farmers are being discriminated against.

According to the farmers, in response to hundreds of complaints and protests over the matter, the district administration established some urea sale points at the tehsil level about two weeks ago.

The urea fertilizer was being supplied at the official rates at these points. However, these points were closed within three days for the reasons only known to the officials.

Later, after talks with farmer organisations, stalls were set up across the district where urea was available at Rs4,000 per bag, about Rs 500 more than the government rate. Due to the urgent need of the urea for the crops, the farmers agreed to buy the fertiliser at this high rate but the supply of the fertiliser to these stalls was also stopped after just a few days later.

Now the urea bags are still available in the black market at a rate of Rs 5,000 per bag and nexus of the government officials and hoarders was involved in it.

A major reason for the urea crisis is stated to be its low supply as compared to the demand across the district and the situation worsened due to the large-scale malpractices by the revenue and agriculture officials in urea distribution, a senior revenue official, while requesting anonymity, tells this scribe.

Sharing with Dawn a video clip in which a field officer of the Minchinabad Agriculture Department could be seen accepting bribe from the farmers, the official laments that no action is being taken against those involved in the malpractice in the urea distribution.

He says action has not been taken against the said agriculture official by the agriculture department or by the Minchinabad AC, despite the video evidence against him besides being proven guilty in an inquiry.

When Minchinabad AC Ahmad Javed was contacted for his response to the allegations, he said he was busy and would contact later but he did not respond to later calls despite a wait of 48 hours.

While mentioning the name of a former parliamentary secretary, Deputy Director of Agriculture Department Lateefullah says that after the departmental inquiry of the video of the field officer, identified as Asif, taking bribe, the department transferred him to Rahim Yar Khan on his recommendation. However, due to the intervention of a politician, his transfer was stopped and unfortunately, he was still working at the same post in the same area.

Bahawalnagar Deputy Commissioner Zulfiqar Ahmad says the entire Punjab is facing a urea crisis while the situation in Bahawalnagar is slightly better than other districts.

Giving reasons of the shortage, he says the district requires 25,000 urea bags on a daily basis but it is getting only 10,000 bags and that’s why the situation in Minchinabad and Chishtian looks more problematic. However, he adds, action is being taken against hoarders and profiteers and 30 FIRs have been lodged within a month against such elements.

Describing the process of distributing urea in the district as fair, the DC vows to take strict action against the officials involved in malpractice in the urea distribution process.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2023