Fawad responds to criticism over urea price hike

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Monday that the cost of a urea bag in the global market was Rs10,000.

Responding to a tweet critical of the incumbent government, the minister said that the official price of a urea bag in Pakistan was just Rs1,700 while in the black market it was being sold at Rs2,200.

He said that Pakistan had to import diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer and the government had no control over its price.

Chaudhry added that farmers got an additional income of Rs400 billion on five major crops owing to the government’s policies.

“What else should the government do,” he asked.

دنیا میں یوریا کی قیمت 10 ہزار روپے کا بیگ ہے پاکستان میں سرکاری دام 1700 روپے ہے بلیک میں بھی زیادہ سے زیادہ 2200 کی ہے DAP پاکستان امپورٹ کرتا ہے اس پر ہمارا اختیار نہیں صرف پانچ بڑی فصلوں پر کسانوں کو 400 ارب روپے اضافی آمدنی ہوئ اب حکومت اس کے بعد اور کیا کرے ؟ https://t.co/Q8m1XiHXWh

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) December 13, 2021

Earlier, the Fertiliser Review Committee has reviewed the supply, stock position and production targets of urea in the current month for the sowing season.

To supervise the urea supplies, amid Rabi season, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar along with Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam held the meeting.

Also read: Urea sales surge 5% in November

The meeting was informed that the urea prices have been restored to controlled rates of Rs1,768/bag by taking punitive measures in Punjab.

The pricing structure is being maintained in other provinces.

The minister reiterated the urea demand would be met through domestic production of 3.4 million tonnes of local production this year, compared with the previous years.

The government ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to the plants for boosting domestic production for the Rabi season, he said.

Also read: Availability of fertilisers ordered

The minister directed the relevant authorities to carry out vigilant border monitoring to avoid inter-provincial movement of urea and rationalisation of district-wise provision of urea for the market correction.

He said the urea supplies to Punjab had increased to 72 per cent from 64 per cent, rectifying the anomalies of distribution among the provinces.

The meeting concluded with the guidelines for provincial departments and fertiliser manufacturers to identify the factors involved in the black marketing and over-supply of urea and to avoid any market stress, amid Rabi season.