Delay in fertilizers import to hit wheat cultivation

The Economic Coordination Committee of the federal cabinet has delayed import of fertilizer, while local production has also decreased due to electricity and gas loadshedding.According to a Punjab Agriculture Department official, the provincial government has informed the federal government that the province needed 2.4 million tonnes urea for Rabi season. But the country has only 300,000 tonnes urea and the ECC committee could not decided about its import during its last meeting which would create problems for farmers as well as the provincial government, he added.In the international market, urea price has gone up from $460 a tonne to $550 a tonne. Pakistan needed $680 for 1.2 million tonnes urea import.On the other hand, the country had not needed to import urea had there been uninterrupted gas supply to the local industry for three months.