VEHARI, Jan 10: Sunflower cultivation in the district may come to a halt due to alleged artificial shortage of seed and fertilizers, it is learnt on Saturday.

Information gathered by this correspondent revealed that the shortage of sunflower seed had resulted in sharp rise in its price, as it was being sold between Rs600 and Rs650 per kilogram instead of its actual price of Rs360 per kilogram.

Official figures show that the government has fixed a target of 59,545 acres to be cultivated for the current Rabi season 2003-04. The crop can be cultivated by the end of January. But only 22,000 acres have been brought under sunflower cultivation so far.

Kissan Board District President Tufail Warriach said the district might fall short of target if the government did not take measures in advance.

He said Pakistan, despite being an agricultural country, spent Rs30 to 35 billion of the foreign exchange on import of edible oil. He said the country's average oil consumption was very high (13 kilogram per capita annually) compared to the world consumption of three kilograms.