Islamabad, 13 January 2022 (TDI): Late on Wednesday 12th January, Prime Minister Imran Khan had a meeting regarding the situation of fertilizer demand and supply in the country.
Significant Announcements in the Meeting
During the meeting, Imran Khan stressed that his government will keep on working and bringing forward the policies, in the best interest of farmers. This is because being an agrarian country, the needs of farmers can not be sidelined.
Talking about fertilizers, he warned that anyone found guilty of hoarding commodities will be dealt with strictly. Fertilizer supply must remain constant so as to yield maximum and healthy Rabi crops.
Currently, in the country, there have been rumors about urea shortage. For dispersing them, an awareness campaign will soon be launched. For mitigation and monitoring purposes, it was mentioned that anti-smuggling measures have been taken.
As a consequence of which 92,845 bags of urea have been confiscated by the provincial governments. Not only that but also there is a monitoring cell under the Ministry of Industries. The purpose of this cell is to keep a check on the fertilizer situation in the country.
Furthermore, Prime Minister announced that the Cabinet has approved the import of 100,000 MT of urea from our friend China. Additionally, the price would be half the price in the international market.
Other important Attendees of the meeting
The meeting was high-level. Federal Ministers Shaukat Tarin, Khusro Makhdum, and Syed Fakhar Imam were present.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib and Special Assistant to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill were there.
Executives associated with the fertilizer companies were also present. Chief Secretaries of the two provinces namely Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the meeting remotely by using a video link.
Fertilizer Manufacturers supportive of Government’s policies
The Executive Director of the Council, Sher Shah Malik mentioned that no quota system for the provision of urea exists. He further added that the council is fully supportive of the measures taken by the Government.
