HYDERABAD: Matiari district administration has decided to launch a crackdown across the district against hoarders of wheat and urea fertiliser.

Matiari deputy commissioner Mohammad Adnan Rashid took the decision at a meeting in Matiari the other day and formed a committee comprising assistant commissioners, district food controller, deputy director of agriculture and deputy superintendent of police to supervise the crackdown.

The committee would pay surprise visits to different areas of the district to recover hoarded wheat and fertiliser and have the hoarders arrested, said the meeting.

The meeting was informed that lists of hoarders had been prepared by agencies concerned and shared with police.

The DC said that hoarding of wheat and fertiliser would not be tolerated and issued directives to set up check-posts to check movement of wheat and urea in trailers and trucks. Availability of urea fertiliser should be ensured and action should be taken against all the traders and dealers who were overcharging for fertiliser, he said.

He said that details of stocks of sold fertiliser should be obtained and then surprise visits should be paid to check availability of fertiliser at official rate.

He asked companies’ representatives to share details of supply centres and dealers so that further strategy could be devised for ensuring availability of the farm input.

He sought cooperation from dealers in this regard and asked officials of agriculture department to share with his office complete reports on stocks and sale of wheat on a daily basis.

The meeting was attended by Matiari SSP Mohammad Kaleem Malik, additional director of agriculture Rafiq Ahmed Rahu, additional DC-II and fertiliser dealers.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2022