OKARA: Fertiliser dealers have started feeling the heat of the repeated visits of raiding teams of the district administration, agriculture department and patwaris.

The dealers say they sell locally produced as well as imported fertilisers, but presently the main dealers are facing problems from the sales policy of fertiliser companies.

They say these companies force them to get one bag of DAP or Nitrophos against two urea bags.

On the other side, the district administration is against this policy as this is unfair to growers, especially of small holdings, which are more than 80 per cent in the district.

The administration has directed dealers to sell bags only to those farmers who have ‘fard’ (copy of the register of rights), which, according to them, is another baseless and unjustified condition.

They say the whole scenario is a clear administrative mismanagement as officially a urea bag should be sold at Rs1,860, but farmers have to pay Rs2,500 per bag.

They say if the sufficient availability of urea is ensured, it can be sold at Rs2,000 per bag instead of Rs2,500 in an open sale market with no administrative interference.

They say the government should forget to sell urea at Rs1,860 as this price contributes only Rs30 profit to a shopkeeper.

Fertiliser dealers, farmers’ representatives and government officials need an open house debate over the situation.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2022