Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar Monday said that unlike the shortage of urea stock in the international market, Pakistan had surplus stock for Rabi season.
“Urea price per bag in the international market is around Rs 11,000 while that in Pakistan is only Rs 1,800, therefore the huge difference is tempting the local dealers and profiteers to hoard urea in bulk,” he said while addressing a press conference here along with Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam.
Khusro Bakhtyar however, advised the farmers not to worry about shortage of urea as the hoarders could not afford to hold the stock for longer period.
He said actual production of urea fertilizer during last Rabi season was 3.17 million Metric Ton (MT) and production during current season is estimated at 3.255 million MT which is 8 percent higher than the last year and is expected to go up 3.355 million MT (11% higher) if Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL) is provided full gas.
The minister said that Northern Plants would remain operational till March-2022 and additional gas would be provided to FFBL that would remain operational in next
months.
Khusro Bakhtyar said production plants were showing a daily production of 20,000 tons Urea which meant that in the January-March (2022) period, 1.8 million tons would be available in addition to existing mill stocks of 70,000 tons.
He said Punjab has been supplied 5 percent extra Urea in first three months while in other provinces supply is even healthier than the last season.
He said in order to stop smuggling and hoarding of urea fertilizer, the government had evolved a comprehensive monitoring system to keep check on transportation of the fertilizer.
From November 15, 2021, he said a web portal for monitoring of Urea was launched under which all factory dispatches with dealer name, location and truck numbers are entered by manufacturers in real time.
He said once Urea arrives, it is sold at controlled rate by the dealer under supervision of district/Agri administration.
