NAROWAL: The shortage of urea fertiliser has become a pressing issue for farmers despite the “efforts of the government officials” to resolve the issue in the Narowal district.

Farmers can be seen outside fertilizer dealers’ warehouses. They said dealers would sell urea at the official rate of Rs1,770 per bag in the presence of government officials. They would sell a load of trailer in the presence of officials and would hide other loads to be sold in the black market at inflated rates. Despite rampant complaints from farmers about the shortage of the commodity, the district administration is silent.

Farmers alleged some dealers had also started selling fake fertilizer to make the most of the crisis. According to sources, fake fertilizers are being sold at Adda Domala Ikhlaspur, Zafarwal, and Shakargarh.

Farmers Mahmood Ahmed and Mohammad Maqsood said that in order to get urea bags, they have to wait in long queues at warehouses. Mahmood said that his requirement was 20 bags of urea but he was provided only three bags. Farmers Muhammad Ayub and Muhammad Mustafa said that influential landlords were being supplied urea bags at their farms.

Agriculture Assistant Director Tanveer Ahmed, however, said that urea fertilizer released to the dealers was being monitored. He said that fertilizer dealers did not get a chance to shift urea bags from trailer to warehouse as it was being sold on the spot.

He said the Agriculture Department had sent five samples of fertilizers from different areas of the district to laboratories for testing. He said that four samples failed the laboratory test. He said the department had raided warehouses and recovered more than 300 bags of fake fertilizer bags and got FIRs registered.

Farmers and traders have demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Bazdar take action on the situation.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2021