Fertiliser Price Review Committee (FPRC) was informed on Wednesday that the stock of urea fertiliser in the country is about to get exhausted and if urea producing units are not provided with proper gas supply immediately, the country might confront several crises, sources said here on Thursday.
The FPRC meeting recommended to Prime Minister that gas load management might be curtailed to 30 days instead of 45 days as per the practice of previous years. Furthermore, decision of gas diversion to fertiliser manufacturing companies from Mari Gas Station, already taken by FPRC and ECC, maybe implemented immediately.
The meeting expressed dissatisfaction over the delay on gas pipeline for an IPP project by the ministry of water and power, from which gas supply would be given to urea fertiliser producing unit.
Under the directives of Chairman of FPRC Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, a summary regarding curtailment of gas to 30 days and supply of gas to fertiliser producing unit has been prepared and sent to Prime Minister for approval. With the approval and implementation on both recommendations, about 0.2 million tonnes of urea would be produced locally within 15 days.
Moreover, a two-member delegation comprising federal secretary industries & production and federal secretary food & agriculture has been tasked to negotiate summary with the concerned Saudi authorities for an immediate import of 225,000 tonnes of urea through the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) facility. The delegation is going to negotiate with the authorities in a day or two.
Meanwhile, Anjuman Kashtkaran Punjab (AKP), strongly criticising continuous increase in the prices of urea fertiliser, has claimed that it is now out of the reach of farmer. It said urea fertiliser has registered increase of many hundred rupees during last week and its application in the crops has decreased because of being very expensive, which might also result in one-third reduction in national crop production.
AKP President Abdul Ali Zakir Usmani said in a statement, here on Thursday, that the government first hit masses and farmers with 'diesel, electricity and gas bombs' and now has dropped fertiliser bomb on the growers. They said that people are already disturbed due to unjustifiable increase in the prices of electricity and petroleum products.
They claimed that the increase in urea prices might result in less wheat production than the target fixed for this year. They termed it a cruel act of the government, saying it is 'gifting price-hike' to the masses on the arrival of new-year. Kisan Board Pakistan leaders warned the rulers to stop bombing farmers with diesel, electricity and fertiliser bombs, otherwise farmers would dislodge them with 'protest bombs'.