LARKANA, Jan 23 The Sindh Abadgar Board leader Gada Hussain Mahesar on Friday expressed the fear that acute shortage of fertiliser would lead to a considerable drop in wheat production in the province and termed the federal government`s decision to set up fertiliser sale points at the utility stores an unwise step.

Mr Mahesar said that opening other outlets in spite of the fertiliser companies own networks of godowns across the province was incompressible.

Sources said that wheat had been sown on about 2.1 million acres of land in the province and the Utility Stores Corporation had so far succeeded in setting up only one sale centre each in Larkana and Qambar. It had yet to open one in Shahdadkot, the sources said.

“It`s no use opening a sale centre when you don`t have any fertiliser to sell,” said Ishaque Mughiri president of SAB`s Shahdadkot chapter.

He pointed out to blackmarketing of fertilisers and said that a bag of 50 kilogram was being sold at Rs1,000 to Rs1,100 whose actual rate was Rs650.

The absence of fertilisers when it was most needed for wheat crop would definitely have a very negative impact on its production, he said.

The recent rains had dealt a deadly blow to rice crop in the province and damaged wheat crop in its initial stage, inflicting colossal losses on growers.

Mr Mahesar said that the representatives of fertiliser companies had agreed upon selling fertiliser to growers from their outlets in recently held meetings.

But instead of implementing the meeting`s decision the federal government had come up with a strange idea of establishing sale points through utility stores. The warehouses of different fertiliser companies in Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts should be properly utilised to address shortage of fertiliser, he said.

In blackmarket, a bag of 50 kilogram fertiliser was being sold at Rs1,200. Weakening purchasing power of growers would also cast a negative impact on the overall wheat production, he said.

He alleged that the shortage of fertiliser at this crucial stage was `handmade`, which cased suffering to growers and benefited only the dealer.

The regional manager of utility stores Larkana approached the District Coordination Officer Qambar-Shahdadkot and the District Food Controller for providing space to open fertiliser sale point but in vain.

The SAB urged the government to take immediate measures to meet the shortage of fertilisers or it would lead to drop in wheat production.

BROTHERS KILLED A man allegedly shot dead his two stepbrothers in Shahnawaz Jatoi village in the jurisdiction of Ratodero police station on Friday over an old dispute involving land.

According to sources, Jeeand Jatoi exchanged hot words with his stepbrothers, Dilawar Jatoi, 20, and Gul Sher Jatoi, 22, when they demanded their share in the property.

In the meantime, he opened fire on them, killing Dilwar Jatoi on the spot and seriously injuring Gul Sher who later died on way to Chandka Medical College Hospital.

DACOIT Sultan Chandio, a notorious dacoit, who suffered injuries and was admitted to Chandka Medical College Hospital after an encounter with police on Jan 21 died here on Friday.

Chandio terrorised Qambar-Shahdadkot and Dadu districts and he was wanted by police in over 30 cases of kidnapping, murder and encounters with police.

Police had arrested Chandio from Janveri village near Mehar on Tuesday.