Price of urea fertiliser has once again been increased by Rs 450 per bag. The last increase of Rs 202 was only two weeks back while the total increase in two weeks is 47 percent. This increase is over and above the previous frequent jumps.
Price per bag of urea was around Rs 950 last year while current price is Rs 2000 (ie, 111 percent increase in a year). People are in a shock but have no choice as no crop can be cultivated without generous use of nitrogen; a necessity government knows and tries to exploit.
Wheat and other important food crops have become unviable to cultivate on present input prices (fertiliser, diesel and electricity); then, where the agriculture sector comprising 70 percent of country’s population will get income and people their food from? By ignoring the livelihood of 70 percent people, the present government has a solution for the food problem.
As they discourage local cultivation by increasing input prices to unprecedented level, they import cheaper food items. This strategy seems serving three-fold purpose for the rulers. They earn more revenue for exchequer and margins from black-marketing for themselves; earn kickbacks from importers and foreign sellers and further weaken country’s economy.
Before present government’s depravity set in, many people were of the view that democracy even in its worst form was better than dictatorship. I am sure they did not know what the worst form of democracy could be. Four years of Zardari-Gilani rule has compelled everybody to rethink.
IMRAN HOTIANA
Lahore