Government pledges to supply adequate fertilisers this year

Government has promised to supply adequate amount of chemical fertilisers this year. The situation regarding chemical fertilisers has improved, so there will not be any fertiliser shortage till August, said acting managing director of Agriculture Inputs Company (AIC) Amar Khair. AIC has imported around 230,313 metric tonnes (MT) of chemical fertilisers this year, he said, adding that the company has already sold 163,753 MT till Tuesday. “We have sold 20,915 MT more fertilisers compared to last year,” he said. Last year, the company had imported around 112,000 MT of chemical fertilisers and sold around 144,000 MT across the country. “We have around 30,000 MT in stock,” said Khair. According to the company, it has imported around 150,000 MT urea, 75,313 MT di-ammonium phosphate and 5,000 MT potash this year. “We have 33,000 MT in stock and 58,000 MT is in transit to Nepal,” he said. AIC has also been selling around 1,160 MT of organic fertilisers through its network. AIC has imported chemical fertilisers worth Rs 11.61 billion, while the government subsidy for the year is around Rs 5.48 billion. “The government has provided around Rs 5.17 billion so far,” Khair said.“We have sufficient stock to meet the demand for paddy — the major crop of the country,” he said, adding that there is no obstruction in import. AIC has maintained smooth supply this year. The country has a total demand of 700,000 MT of chemical fertilisers but total import is at around 300,000 MT. The total demand for chemical fertilisers for paddy is around 150,000 MT.