District level committees formed to control fertiliser prices

For the welfare of farmers, the Sindh government has constituted district-level committees to monitor and control the prices of fertiliser products in the province.

Chief Secretary Maj (retd) Azam Suleman Khan issued the notification for constitution of such district-level committees, each of which is headed by the district deputy commissioner as chairman.

As per the notification, other committee members include the district’s senior superintendent of police, all assistant commissioners, additional director or deputy director of the Agriculture Extension Wing of the Sindh Agriculture Department posted in the area, a representative of the farmers’ bodies and a representative of local trade association.

Defining the committees’ terms of reference, the notification states that the committee will take all measures to control, regulate and monitor the prices of fertiliser products and it will ensure that fertilisers are sold as per the price declared by the government and in relation to the cost of production per bag determined by the government.

Moreover, the committee will also be responsible to maintain the sale registers by fertiliser dealers through additional director/deputy director of the Agriculture Extension Wing in the area, while the additional director/deputy director of the Agriculture Department

will furnish a daily sales report to committee chairman for information and

necessary measures for controlling prices of fertiliser products.

The committee may also ensure that officers/inspectors of the Agriculture Extension Wing check and monitor the fertiliser prices in the market in coordination with the assistant commissioners concerned, and it may further constitute/notify the committees at Taluka/sub-divisional level in order to achieve the objective of controlling prices.