We must keep addressing the urea issue so long as the government’s handling of it leaves a little something to be desired, especially since the commodity’s shortfall has a direct bearing on food prices. And now that gas shortage has already bid up prices, translating quickly into ag-flation, it behooves the government to ensure farmers’ complaints of miss-pricing the subsidy and hoarding are addressed urgently.
Already, despite the subsidy, the price per bag has increased a good 53 per cent. And to make matters worse, there’s yet no mechanism to check hoarding typical of the sector, pushing up prices unrealistically and burdening the end consumer. Since much of the periphery already survives on mere subsistence, thanks to the long high-inflation trend, lack of proper official attention might just push marginalised groups into revolt, by no means a novelty in the present international environment.
The official position is surprising since handling some of these issues is not very difficult. Once handling gas-shortage was mistimed, relevant authorities should have moved quickly to ensure compliance with proper price structures to keep an already uncomfortable situation from turning volatile. Should the situation turn still worse, there will be no prizes for guessing where inefficiency is rooted.