Govt ensured uninterrupted gas supplies to plants for boosting domestic production for Rabi season: Khusro Bakhtyar

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (SABAH): Ensuring the adequate supplies of urea for Rabi crops ahead of this month, Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar along with Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Food Security held a meeting with manufacturers of fertiliser industry on Thursday. Senior officials of both ministries also participated in the meeting.

The meeting reflected upon current stock position and production targets of urea and other fertilisers in month of December 2021. The Minister noted that the domestic production of urea stood historic around 34 lac tonnes in this year due to prudent and timely measures taken by the government. He said that the government ensured the uninterrupted gas supplies to the plants for boosting domestic production for Rabi season. While highlighting the notified price of urea, the Minister said that irrespective of escalating global prices of urea amounting Rs 10, 000 per bag, the government had managed successfully to keep price of urea at Rs.1768 per bag for robust cultivation of rabi crops.

Moreover, the Minister appreciated the cooperation from fertilizer companies to ease out artificial fertiliser crunch and said that collective efforts had helped the district administration to provide urea bag as per notified prices. He also shared that a new enactment to reward whistle-blowers was being promulgated to check hoarding and profiteering, by which, a maximum of Rs 5 million will be rewarded to those who will provide credible and actionable information about hoarding of fertilisers to the government.

In spirit of prioriting the interest of farmers, the Minister reiterated that the constant monitoring of supply of urea from manufacturing units and movement of fertilisers at selling point would continue in December. He also called for blacklisting of dealers engaged in hoarding and black marketing of urea amidst Rabi season.