Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal has claimed that the fertiliser manufacturing companies have increased the price of urea by rupees 140 per bag, which will put an additional burden of Rs 18 billion on the farming sector.
In a statement issued here Friday, he said delay in the import of urea has provided an opportunity to the fertiliser-manufacturing companies to loot farmers. He said 130 million urea bags are sold in the country per annum and recent increase will put an additional burden of Rs 18 billion on the farmers. He said this would result in hike in the prices of agricultural commodities and a fresh wave of price hike for the consumers.
Mughal also claimed that continuous increase in the prices of agricultural inputs has made the farming a trade of deficit for the growers. He alleged that fertiliser, seed and micro-nutrients selling mafias were ruling the country. He said fresh increase in the urea prices would damage Khareef crops, which include cotton sown on 8.7 million acres, rice on six million and sugarcane on 2.3 million acres of land.
Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman said that fertiliser companies are getting subsidised fertiliser from the government but had increased prices of fertiliser from Rs 850 per bag to Rs 1365 per bag in one and half year. Now the same fertiliser would be available to the growers from RS 1500 to 1600 per bag. He demanded that the should immediately stop extending subsidy to the fertiliser manufacturing companies and also ensure availability of urea fertiliser at Rs 1,000 per bag.
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