MUZAFFARGARH, June 25: The DAP fertilizer has vanished from open market despite the government’s announcement to enhance subsidy on the fertilizer up to Rs1,000 per bag, Dawn has learnt.

Though farmers have welcomed the step, they consider the announcement “much belated” because sowing season of the cotton crop had been over and a large number of cultivators had purchased the DAP fertilizer at inflated price and had consumed it accordingly.

Before the announcement of the federal budget, the DAP fertilizer was being sold at Rs3,200 to Rs3,600 per bag at some shops but now those shopkeepers and stockists too had hoarded the stockpiles creating an artificial shortage.

A farmer, Malik Abid Husain, said nobody knew the actual rate of DAP and every shopkeeper was charging price of his choice, leading to neutralise all previous and future subsides.

A shopkeeper of Sanawan told Dawn that he had purchased the DAP stock at Rs3,200 per bag, so he would not sell it out on a cheaper rate. He said he would wait for another few days so that rates of DAP fertilizer may escalate further and he could earn a handsome profit.

Another farmer Malik Ijaz Hussain said the prime minister should have announced the subsidy enhancement in his first address to the National Assembly because the decision at that time would have given a boost to the cotton sowing.

The DAP fertilizer is mostly used at the time of sowing and at the time of first watering to the cotton crop. Because of the shortage and hike in the price of DAP fertilizer, farmers are also turning to alternative fertilizers, like cattle dung. However, according to some, these alternatives are considered inadequate to fortify the fertility of the lands.

Agriculture EDO Chaudhry Shahzad said that per bag price of DAP would further go up with the passage of time.

He said he had received many complaints regarding hoarding of fertilizer and he had made a team to clampdown shopkeepers involved in this menace. In the light of the team’s findings, he said, he would take action against those found involved in hoarding and overcharging.

However, being top district government official on agriculture, he was unaware of the actual per bag price of the DAP fertilizer.

“I have no notification issued by the government which mentions the official price of the DAP fertilizer,” was the EDO’s answer when he was confronted with the issue.