MIRPURKHAS, Sept 3: Hundreds of growers staged a demonstration at Khipro Naka roundabout and blocked Mirpurkhas-Sindhri and Mirpurkhas-Umerkot roads by putting hurdles and burning tyres on Wednesday to protest against acute shortage of urea fertiliser in the district.

The protesters stopped a trailer loaded with fertiliser bags which were being transported to the warehouse of a dealer Seth Mirchu. The police reached there.

The protesters demanded sale of fertiliser bags at government-fixed price of Rs635 per bag on the spot. Half of the bags the trailer contained were sold to farmers on the rate but Seth Mirchu refused to sell the remaining fertiliser on control rate.

Protesters complained that fertiliser dealers were selling fertiliser in black market and due to an artificial shortage of urea fertiliser, their standing cotton, chilli, onion, sunflower, sugarcane and vegetables were being destroyed.

The demonstration continued and Mirpurkhas-Sindhri road remained blocked till the filing of this report, leading to suspension of vehicular traffic.

In Larkana, a consignment of 28,000 urea bags arrived in a special train from Fauji Fertiliser on Wednesday to meet the shortage of the fertiliser in Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts.

The Larkana district coordination officer inspected the consignment at the railway station and said that 20,000 bags of imported urea were also made available for the growers of the district.

He assured the growers that sufficient quantity of fertiliser would be available for their crops and that they should not get panicky. He advised growers to contact fertiliser distribution cells in the offices of Mukhtiarkars to get fertiliser on controlled and company rates.

In Thatta, DCO Dr Laiq Ahmed Memon has said that in order to eliminate the shortage of urea fertiliser in the district, he will personally get in touch with the fertilisers companies, obtain 80,000 bags of urea in 10 days and distribute the same to the dealers on equitable basis under the supervision of the DDO revenue and the DO agriculture extension wing.

He was speaking at a meeting of the officials of the district government at Darbar Hall in Makli which discussed the shortage of urea and its sale on government price.

He said that a monthly quota of 1,000 tons of urea fertiliser fixed for Thatta district will be distributed within the district and strict action will be taken against those who tried to smuggle it out. He directed the urea fertiliser dealers to declare their stocks and to ensure its sale according to the government rates of Rs635 per bag.

Strict action will be taken against the violators of government rates, he warned and added that the price list of urea should be displayed at a conspicuous place of their shops. He said that the dealers should also furnish the details about the stocks of fertiliser to DDOs revenue and agriculture extension wing.

He also directed the DDO revenue and district police to pay surprise visits to markets and break the network of hoarders and profiteers. He took a serious notice of the allegation that SHO Jati police station had demanded 100 bags of fertiliser from a dealer, Nauroze Ali Khwaja and directed SPO headquarter Thatta, Nooruddin Sanjrani to conduct inquiry and submit a report directly to him.

The fertilizer dealers submitted their problems before the DCO, who assured that all the problems will be resolved on priority basis and they will be provided full protection.

District president PPP, Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon, former MNA Babu Ghulam Hussain Memon, EDO agriculture Vikio Chohan and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

In Jacobabad, District Officer Revenue, Shahid Islam raided a fertiliser shop here on Wednesday on the complaint of overcharging by growers.

Shopkeepers were selling urea fertiliser at the rate of Rs970 per bag as against official rate of Rs635. The DO Revenue imposed fine of Rs5,000 on a dealer Lal Chand.

Later, fertiliser dealers closed their shops and held a meeting to review the situation. Lal Chand said that due to acute shortage of urea, he was purchasing the fertiliser on high rates and was compelled to sell it accordingly.