Cotton Growers in Bahawalpur Face Urea Shortage

Kissan Ittehad has decried the acute urea shortage being faced by cotton farmers in the Bahawalpur district, blaming dealers and retailers for illegal profiteering. Kissan Ittehad District Head Abdul Matlab alleged that the hoarders have jacked up the urea prices from the official rate of Rs. 2,950 per 50 kg bag to Rs. 3,400 kg per bag and has warned that this unavailability at a fixed government rate will greatly damage the cotton and sugarcane crops. He stressed the need for action against hoarders by the district administration and agriculture officials to ensure the availability. It is to be noted that urea prices have already increased by Rs. 480 recently in response to the 5 percent Federal Excise Duty (FED) imposed by the government, but hoarders are anticipating a hike in demand with maize sowing on the horizon next month and the final fertilizers application time approaching for the sugarcane crop. But the most critical of all is the cotton which in some areas has already given several pickings while in some areas it has just started to bloom. With the weather remaining satisfactory, the demand for urea will remain stable which means that controlling these prices is critical to achieve this year’s production target.