SIALKOT, June 4: The dealers and stockists in Sialkot and Narowal districts are charging Rs545 for a bag of urea fertilizer instead of Rs423, which reflected a lack of price control on part of the district government. The worst-hit by this unchecked price hike are those poor farmers who have to purchase the fertilizers on credit.

Chairman Farmers’ Rights Protection Forum Punjab Mirza Ehsan Baig and president Anjuman Kashtakaran, Sialkot district, Syed Iqbal Shah stated this while talking to journalists on Saturday.

Expressing concern over the situation, they urged the district government to take measures to save farmers and growers from the exploitation at the hands of dealers, stockists and middlemen.

They urged the government to announce 25 per cent reduction in the prices of all fertilizers for at least three years in the coming federal budget for the promotion and development of agriculture and prosperity of the farmers and growers.

They also demanded abolishing of the General Sales Tax (GST) on pesticides in the budget, besides early implementation of ‘Kissan Package’ announced by President Gen Pervaiz Musharraf for the welfare of the growers.

They were of the view that the high costs of farm machinery, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds had gone out of the growers’ reach, making agriculture a dying sector.