State Minister for Industries and production, while responding to an attention notice in the Senate (Feb.4), reported that there is no shortage of Urea fertiliser in the country. Nothing could be different from the truth and this statement is not based on ground realities. There is an acute shortage of Urea in the country and black marketing is at its peak. Even the official prices have been raised by Rs.190/bag by the private sector companies, courtesy the creation of private sector cartels by eliminating the Public Sector through unwanted privatisation of profitable fertiliser plants. The cause of the current shortage and the price hike is the wrong priority of shifting natural gas to power generation and the resultant closure of fertiliser plants in the country. Now 1million tons of Urea is being imported which is a huge drain on our already dwindling foreign exchange reserves. It is not known whether the government (TCP) will again repeat the folly of importing at Gawadar port and then transport it through trucks to Karachi for onward shipment. Last year this wasteful practice resulted in squandering billions of public money and massive corruption (about Rs.200-250/ton) in transportation contracts. But then, in this land of the pure, who cares about the wastage of public money.
QASIM IQBAL KHAN
Lahore