ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: With only a week left to add urea to the soil, wheat farmers are finding it difficult to buy the fertiliser because of its shortage in the market.

Sources told Dawn on Sunday if urea was not used in time, wheat crops would be aversely affected, particularly in Punjab.

However, Federal Minister for Industry and Production Manzoor Wattoo denied there was any shortage of urea and said that black marketeers had created an artificial shortage.

He agreed that the fertiliser would be of no help to the crop if it was not used within the next 10 days.

The government has been accused of delaying urea import by at least two months and criticised for deciding to get the imports unloaded at the Gwadar Port, increasing the time of delivery to upcountry.

But Mr Wattoo defended the decision to import urea through Gwadar and said it had been transported through 1,000 trucks a day to wheat-growing areas.

The sources said the import through Gwadar had increased the cost of urea by Rs10 per bag.

The government is distributing the fertiliser mainly through Utility Stores. According to the sources, two regional managers of the USC were suspended for selling urea on black market in Multan and Sukkur.

Mr Wattoo told Dawn each district would receive its share of urea. He, however, kept quiet when it was pointed out that the import through Gwadar had led to delay in delivery and that the USC had no capacity to provide urea to farmers.

He said the government had started a campaign against hoarders and black marketeers and stern action would be taken against them. The minister said the government had spent billions of dollars on the import of urea and given subsidy to ensure its supply to farmers at the control rate of Rs660 per bag.