HYDERABAD: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) on Sunday urged Chief Minster Syed Murad Ali Shah to take notice of an “artificial” shortage of urea fertiliser in Sindh, and expressed its concern over “loot of urea-laden vehicles in the province” amid “black-marketing” of the commodity.

Presided over by its president Syed Miran Mohammad Shah, an SCA meeting observed that if urea fertiliser was not provided to growers, then wheat crop’s productivity would be seriously affected and this could lead to a shortage of wheat and flour in the market. The meeting was attended by SCA general secretary Zahid Bhurgari, Nabi Bux Sathio, Mohammad Khan Sarejo, Ghulam Mujtaba Unnar and others.

Miran Shah told the meeting that a urea shortage was being created artificially in the market and its consignments were being looted during transportation. “This is a dangerous trend,” he said.

He urged the Sindh government to take action against the “mafia” behind this shortage. He demanded that urea availability to growers at notified rates be ensured and looters be punished.

He argued that since the agricultural inputs’ cost had increased, the wheat support price be fixed at Rs2,500 per 40kg. Bumper onion and tomato crops have been produced in Sindh but the commodities as well as dates are being imported from Iran, which is affecting the rates of local crops in the market. He noted that dried dates used to be exported to India in the past but it had been stopped now. This is an irreparable economic loss to Sindh.

MIRPURKHAS: Around 20,000 to 25,000 urea fertiliser bags should be distributed among growers to ensure desired wheat production, Gohram Baloch, an agriculture extension department officer, said here on Sunday.

He endorsed the view that vested interests had created an artificial shortage of urea and DAP fertiliser, saying that his department had been taking all possible measures to ensure availability of the commodity at notified rates.

Tail-end Abadgars Association and Nara canal area water board (AWB) members Nadeem Bhurgari, Mohammad Ismail, Maqsood Rajput, Khalid Arain and others observed that the shortage was caused by hoarders to mint money through price-hike and black-marketing. They pointed out that growers were desperate to buy fertiliser in order to cultivate wheat before closure of canals.

They urged the district administration to conduct raids on hoarders’ godowns to bring an end to the shortage.

BADIN: Unknown miscreants intercepted a container-mounted long vehicle passing through Tando Bago town of this district on Saturday night and took away a consignment of 600 bags of urea fertiliser.

Owner of the consignment, Mr Jai Prakash, told police and local reporters that some 150 miscreants stormed the vehicle and started taking away the bags. The crowd was led by some people riding a black Vigo, the police were told.

The Tando Bago police registered a case against the unknown miscreants on a complaint lodged by the vehicle’s driver, Mohammad Iqbal Baloch.

Meanwhile, Dilbar Sindhi, Sikandar Memon and others belonging to (Zulfiqar) Mirza group, held a protest demonstration and sit-in against the area police at Dai Chowk in the town for their failure to act promptly after the incident. They alleged that some influential landowners of Badin were behind the loot. They demanded an investigation into the episode and action against the culprits.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2022