The Punjab government has reportedly complained that National Fertilizer Marketing Company (NFML) is fuelling the black market and encouraging the hoarding of urea by not sharing details of transportation with the province, it was learnt. Sources said the issue was raised by the representatives of Punjab government during a meeting focused on reviewing demand and supply situation for Rabi crop.
The NFML was directed to provide details of urea transportation from port to bulk stores or dealers with all provinces under intimation to the Ministry of Industries and Production. Sources said the representatives of fertilizer industry reportedly opposed the import of urea, arguing that sufficient urea was available in the country. According to them, there is 3.15 million tons of urea in the country against a demand of 2.9 million tons.
The National Fertilizer Development Corporation (NFDC) reportedly supported urea imports by pointing out that, at present, the price of urea in the international market was at its lowest level and therefore, it was the best time to import it. They further argued that if the imported urea was not utilised in Rabi season then it could be utilized in the forthcoming Kharif season.
The four provincial governments' total urea requirements for Rabi 2013-14 was 3.21 million tons and not 2.9 million tons as stated by the fertilizer industry. The province-wise demand laid out during the meeting by the provinces was as follows: Punjab province would require 2.13 million tons urea for the Rabi season, Sindh province 0.667 million tons, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.254 million tons and Balochistan province 0.15 million tons.
Ministry of National Food Security & Research underlined the need for minimising the price differential between local and imported urea because it was only benefiting the middleman. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa representatives said that during the last Kharif 2013 season, the NFML provided urea to their model farms which facilitated farmers and requested that quota for Gilgit Baltistan should be fixed in addition to the required quota of KPK. The meeting decided that the gap could be plugged through import of urea.
