HYDERABAD, March 24: The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) on Saturday reiterated its appeal to the prime minister requesting him to announce a clear policy on subsidy on fertilisers in the wake of sudden rise in prices on the back of shortage artificially created by greedy dealers.

In a communication to the prime minister, a copy of which was faxed to Dawn, SAB President Abdul Majeed Nizamani said that with cotton sowing already started and sugarcane crop in bad need of a crucial doze of phosphatic fertiliser the hoarders had created its shortage and shot up its price from Rs830 per bag to Rs1,350 a bag.

The country’s total requirement of phosphatic fertiliser stood at 1.5 million tons per annum, of which 500,000 was produced locally at a cost of 275 dollars per ton, while the remaining was imported, he informed.

The country had at present 95,000 tons of fertiliser, which had been imported at a cost of 308 dollars per ton, he said and added that at current price level the total value of required fertilisers came to $504.2 million i.e. Rs1,008 per bag. After adding to it cost of distribution, sale and other allied expenditure, the consumer price would become about Rs1,208 per bag.

He reminded the premier that the government had promised to continue the subsidy of Rs400 per bag, which would bring the sales price to Rs808 per bag. But the government had so far failed to announce a clear policy on subsidy much to the frustration of the farming community, he said.

With the middlemen out to fleece growers many might go for not using the fertilisers at all, which would render a tremendous blow to cotton, rice, sugarcane, mango and other crops, he said.

Mr Nizamani once again made a fervent appeal to the prime minister for announcing a clear policy on subsidy without further delay to save the rural economy from collapse.

WALK: District health department and Anti TB Association on Saturday organised a walk from Hyderabad Gymkhana to Hyder Chowk to mark the International Anti-TB Day.

District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil, EDO health Dr Mehfooz Ahmed Qureshi, TB Control Director Dr Iqtedar Ahmed Chaudhry and WHO National Programme officer Dr Nazeer Ahmed Shaikh led the walk in which a large number of health staff, teachers, students and people from all walks of life participated.

The district government had set up 114 diagnostic centres and 35 treatment centres in the district to provide patients free of cost facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, he said and added that there were 531 registered cases of TB in the district.

Later, at a seminar on the disease TB Control Programme Sindh Director Dr Iqtedar Ahmed Chaudhry said that two billion people were suffering from TB all over the world. In 2005, 1.6 million people all over the world had died from the fatal disease, he said.

Dr Nasir Jamal Pathan, Tanvir Ahmed Shaikh, Liaquat Panhwar and Dr Najma Qadir also spoke on the occasion.