DADU, Sept 11: A farmer suffered injuries in a clash between two groups of growers over complaints of unfair distribution of fertiliser by DDO revenue and dealers in Mehar town on Thursday.

Police filed an FIR on the complaint lodged by the injured Roshan Khoso against Jalal Chandio and an unidentified man who he alleged used clubs and axes in the clash. The growers later staged a demonstration in the town in protest against DDO of revenue accusing him of showing unfairness in the distribution of fertiliser among growers.

Din Mohammad Chandio and Badar Sihole alleged that the DDO was distributing fertiliser among his favourite growers and the dealers were indulged in blackmarketing in collusion with administration.

The growers also held a demonstration in Dadu.

In Ghotki district, farmers held a demonstration at Panj Gulla Chowk in Khanpur Mahar on Thursday in protest against what they called artificial shortage of urea fertiliser in the area.

The protesters led by Ali Bux Pitafi, Ghulam Qadir Gadani and Asghar Mahar gathered at the chowk, shouting slogans against the taluka administration and urea dealers and accusing them of creating artificial shortage of fertiliser.

They told journalists that despite presence of three big urea fertiliser factories in the area, the farmers were running from pillar to post to get the essential agricultural input and their crops were withering.

They said that the dealers in collusion with influential landlords were hoarding the fertiliser in order to sell it later at exorbitant rates. A bag of urea was being sold for Rs1,000 to 1,100 in blackmarket as against its official rate of Rs635 per bag, they complained.

In the meantime, SHO of Khanpur Mahar Lal Bux Deepar arrived at the chowk with a police party and succeeded in pacifying the enraged protesters. He asked the dealers to give fertiliser bags to the farmers who possessed slips and advised the farmers who did not have slips to first get the slips.

In Mirpurkhas, EDO of revenue recommended to the provincial secretary of agriculture to cancel fertiliser and pesticide licenses and dealership of 12 dealers of fertiliser.

The dealers are Sattar fertiliser agency, Good Luck fertiliser agency, Tharparkar fertiliser agency, Shahbaz fertiliser agency, Al Noor fertiliser agency, Leelaram traders, Sonaji fertiliser agency, Maharaj fertiliser agency, Krishna fertiliser agency, Azad fertiliser agency Jhuddo, Imtiaz fertiliser agency Tando Jan Mohammed and Kishore fertiliser agency Digri.

The EDO said in a letter to secretary agriculture said that the proprietors of the agencies had been overcharging the growers and found involved in creating artificial shortage of urea since July.

He said that the dealers were also indulged in blackmarketing and hoarding. When the DDO of agriculture visited the agencies to verify stock of fertilisers and sales register they avoided to furnish the information hence they were liable for action under Price Control Act 1977, he said.

He said that instructions should also be issued to all the fertiliser producing companies to start booking supply orders for forthcoming Rabi 2008-09 crops.