HARIPUR, Nov 23: Rates of key farming inputs and services, including fertilizers, have risen sharply in the absence of a monopoly control mechanism, farmers complained here on Sunday.

They said wheat sowing season had already started in the Haripur district and farmers with small land-holdings would face considerable difficulty buying the vital agricultural input at exaggerated prices.

Retailers dismissed farmers’ accusations, blaming the hike in fertilizer prices on wholesellers.

Farmers said that fertilizers’ rates rose between Rs100 and Rs200 per bag against last year’s rates.

DAP, an imported and in-demand fertilizer variety, was being sold between Rs930 and Rs960, urea between Rs430 and Rs440, nitrophosphate Rs620 and Rs685 per 40-kg bag, farmers said.

Criticizing local fertilizer merchants, farmers said that the farming input was more expensive to purchase here than Punjab, adding that fertilizers were available at cheaper rates in Jhari Kass, a bordering village in Punjab.

Fayyaz Khan, a growers said that on the one hand the government was stressing the need to increase the wheat cultivation area but it appeared to have no control over profiteering. He argued that the goal of wheat autarky could hardly be achieved in such circumstances.

He also complained about adulteration of fertilizers, saying that DAP fertilizer was being sold in certain areas, adding that crushed stones were being added to DAP and some other fertilizers varieties to increase volume and weight.

He said that the DAP, which he had used three months ago for his green peas crop, still remained undissolved, which spoke volumes about the quality and purity of the commodity.

It was also learnt that there were certain elements in Hattar Industrial Estate and Haripur, who were marketing an adulterated fertilizer, covertly dying an inferior urea to make it resemble DAP.