ISLAMABAD: The Sindh-based fertiliser dealers have purchased an extra 125,000 tonnes of urea, compared with the last year, similarly dealers from peripheral areas of Punjab (adjacent to Sindh) bought 50,000 tonnes of extra urea, compared with the last year for hoarding purposes.

Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar regretted that unfortunately due to severe negligence of the Sindh government, these stocks could not be moved to food-bowl areas of Punjab; thus, threatening the Rabi season, which was matter of national food security.

He reiterated that the Sindh government should take measures against hoarders on the basis of data of suspected hoarders in Sindh provided by the federal government.

The minister announced that a new enactment to reward whistle-blowers was being promulgated to check hoarding and profiteering, by which, a maximum of Rs5 million would be awarded to those who would provide credible and actionable information about hoarding of fertilisers to the government.

Moreover, he said there was an ample amount of urea available for Rabi season, as the government has arranged for additional production of 225,000 tonnes over the last year by extending the operations of Northern plants and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL) till February.

In addition, the government was finalising urea import, which would reach Karachi by the middle of December for maintaining buffer stocks.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting on the fertiliser supply position and lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Industries and Production, Punjab government and cooperation from the fertiliser companies for making collective efforts to reduce the prices of urea by Rs400/bag in a week.

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