Minister terms Sindh as ‘safe haven’ for urea hoarders

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday termed Sindh a ‘safe haven’ for fertiliser hoarders/profiteers, as more than half of the country’s total urea supplies went to the province in September-November period, much higher than last year’s.

“Whereas Punjab government in its crackdown is confiscating hoarders/profiteers stocks to auction them at government-notified prices,” said Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, Federal Minister for Industries and Production, while chairing fertiliser review meeting.

Chief Secretary Punjab apprised the meeting that in the last two weeks Punjab government inspection teams booked 159 individuals involved in hoarding/black-marketing of urea. During these two weeks, 2,76000 tonnes of urea was confiscated in raids and district administration auctioned it at notified rate of Rs1,768/bag among farmers and buyers, the secretary said.

The fertiliser industry also shared the latest urea supply position in the country through real time portal, which showed inter-provincial distribution anomalies.

According to available data, Punjab lagged by four percent in urea supplies, whereas 52 percent supplies went to Sindh from September to November as compared to last year, showing excess amount of the fertiliser in the latter.

While lauding Punjab’s efforts, the minister said Sindh apparently had become a ‘safe haven’ for hoarders and profiteers, but he still expected its government to follow Punjab’s suit and provide urea to farmers at government-notified rates to boost country’s wheat production.

Furthermore, he said owing to Sindh government’s negligence towards controlling prices of essential commodities, especially in Karachi and Hyderabad, inflation spiked over past years, adding to pressure on our economy in terms of high interest rate -employed to curb inflation.

He added that the incumbent government was taking all possible measures for robust supply of urea to farmers at affordable prices for wheat sowing season.

The minister also assured constant monitoring of urea supply from manufacturing units and its movement to and at selling points across the country.

He appreciated the action of fertiliser manufacturers to blacklist the hoarders to smoothen the supply chain and market correction of urea countrywide.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, the other day, while chairing a review meeting on wheat and fertiliser stock in the country also expressed concerns over inaction of the Sindh government against the mafias involved in profiteering and hoarding these commodities in the province.

“If Sindh government does not take effective measures against the anti-people criminals then the federal government may intervene,” he warned and added, “Failure of the Sindh government to take action is affecting the prices and supply of fertilisers across the country, including Sindh”.