Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal has appealed Prime Minister of Pakistan to order investigation into the alleged embezzlement and fraud in the subsidy extended on imported fertiliser. He said that government should take accountable those responsible for this embezzlement and award them exemplary punishment. Mughal made this demand while talking to media, here on Thursday.
In his opinion, a fraud of Rs 7.20 billion was committed by certain quarters on import of 1,200,000 tons of urea. He said that urea bag which cost Rs 1,325 per bag was sold at Rs 1,700 per bag to the growers thus pocketing Rs 7.20 billion by the minister concerned, federal bureaucrats and officers from NFML.
He said that subsidy of Rs 24 billion given on this fertiliser is being enjoyed by the same people instead of the growers. He said that application of fertiliser has registered a 30 percent decline in wheat, gram, sunflower, canola and mustard crop due to being expensive.
Mughal said our neighbouring country was extending a subsidy of Rs 950 per annum on agricultural inputs and all of it was reaching to the growers while in Pakistan a meagre subsidy of Rs 24 billion is not reaching its targeted people, he alleged. He once again appealed government to take action against the responsible in this regard.