Govt shares urea fertilizer management plan for 2022

The government has shared a urea fertilizer management plan in Pakistan that focuses on smooth supply to the farmers for crops in 2022.

The plan reveals about urea fertilizer sale, import and its consumption in Pakistan.

Actions and Management of Urea

• Creation of Monitoring Portal
  • helped in Urea tracing and price control
  • From 15 November 2021, a web portal for monitoring Urea was launched
  • All factory dispatches with dealer name, location, and truck numbers are entered by manufacturers in real-time
  • All DCS have access to data of their districts
  • Ground staff approaches the dealer and verifies the amount on arrival of ureaw fertilizer in Pakistan.
  • Once Urea arrives it is sold at a controlled rate by the dealer under the supervision of the district/Agri administration
  • Nonverification is reported to the Chief Secretary

• Import efforts of urea fertilizer in Pakistan

  • M/o I&P had taken approval from ECC for import of 100,000 MT vide its decision dated September 30^th, 2021. The subject decision was ratified by the Cabinet on October 5^th, 2021
  • Tender in compliance with the import decision by the Government was issued by TCP on Oct 22^nd, 2021, and was opened on Nov 22^nd, 2021. No offer was received in this regard
  • The government of China has offered a supply of 100,000 tons of Urea on a G2G basis
  • ECC has approved import which will arrive from 10^thto 25^th of February 2022 due to which there will be ample inventory in Feb March 2022 (Annex-I)

• Due to effective actions and prompt management, there was no stress on prices and prices of urea remained stable (Annex- I)
• Agronomic Needs/Demand
• Agronomic Trend:
  • Sowing of wheat has been completed in irrigated areas of Punjab & Sindh
  • Balance demand represents application with second irrigation which generally peaks in the last 20 days of January ( Annex-II)

• January Management Plan
  • Due to the prevailing rain spell demand is expected to be on the lower side till Jan 9, 2022
  • Continue with the dispatch of 19000 tons daily from 6^th to 9^th Jan (Rain period)
  • Increase Supply from 10^th to 31^st to 22,000 tons by losing stocks @2500 (Annex-III)
    • The Current demand is mostly panic-driven and fueled by the middle man which was not historically a part of the supply chain of urea
    • Farmers should make sure that they will get adequate urea at a controlled price in January, February, and March
    • Farmers are appealed to not engage in panic buying and avoid purchasing of urea’s requirement of February and March right now which will save the country from price hovering and unnecessary struggle to get urea in a long queue.