The cabinet has exempted the Ministry of Industries and Production from PPRA rules to import 100,000 metric urea fertilizer through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).
The government had decided to import 100,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer to break the cartel of dealers’ mafia.
As many as 343000 metric tons of urea fertilizer go missing in the market.
Dealers had informed the government agencies that they had sold the stocks and did not know about missing stocks from the market.
Sources told Newztodays.com that the PPRA board had recommended two exemptions from applicability of rules 35 and 38 of Public Procurement Rules for the already floated tender with the opening date on November.
It also recommended exemption from the applicability of rules 13, 35, and 38 of PPRA rules in case the tender needs to be floated once again.
The exemption from rule 38 was to the extent of making the price of the second-most advantageous bidder at part with the successful bidder in case the desired quantity was not offered by the first one.
The Ministry of Industries and Production had sought approval from the applicability of PPRA rules 2004 for the import of 100,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer through the trading corporation of Pakistan (TCP) as per the decision of the PPRA board.
Cabinet approved an exemption from PPRA rules to import 100,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer.
Earlier, the government had announced rewards up to Rs 5 million to whistle-blowers to check hoarding and profiteering of urea fertilizer in Pakistan.
Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar said during a fertilizer review meeting regarding domestic production of urea.
He also shared that the government was promulgating a new enactment to reward whistle-blowers to check hoarding and profiteering.
The government will give a maximum of Rs 5 million rewards to those who would provide credible and actionable information about the hoarding of urea fertilizer in Pakistan to the government.
Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar chaired a meeting here on Thursday.
Mr. Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Food Security participated in a meeting. Manufacturers of the fertilizer industry also attended a meeting here on Thursday. Senior officials of both ministries also participated in the meeting.
The participants reviewed stock position and production targets of urea. It also discussed stocks of other fertilizers in the month of December 2021.
The Minister noted that the domestic production of urea stood historic around 3.4 million in this year.
He was it was due to prudent and timely measures taken by the government. He said that the government ensured uninterrupted gas supplies to the plants. It helped to boost domestic production for the Rabi season.
Minister highlighted the notified price of urea. He said that global prices of urea escalated amounting to Rs 10, 000 per bag.
However, the government had managed successfully to keep the price of urea fertilizer in Pakistan at Rs.1768 per bag for the robust cultivation of rabi crops. Moreover, the Minister lauded the cooperation of fertilizer companies to ease out the artificial fertilizer crunch.
He said that collective efforts had backed the district administration to provide urea bags as per notified prices.
In order to prioritize the interest of farmers, the Minister reiterated the constant monitoring of the supply of urea.
He pledged to continue monitoring manufacturing units and movement of urea fertilizer in Pakistan at the selling point in December.
Minister also demanded to blacklist dealers involved in hoarding and black marketing of urea amidst Rabi season.
