Fertilizer smuggling to Afghanistan dropped, minister tells Senate

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Interior Minister on Thursday informed Senate that the fertilizer’s smuggling to Afghanistan has dropped by a larger extent, ARY News reported.

Sarfaraz Bugti claimed that 99 percent smuggling has been stopped. “The question is, where all fertilizer being gone,” he said.

“We could not get fertilizer from Punjab and have to face formidable problems to get it,” Bugti added.

“Influential people always get benefit while the poor suffers,” said Senator Sania Nishtar.

“Let market access to the wheat and fertilizer, all problem will be solved,” Senator Nishtar said. “Ensure strict arrangements at borders and conduct a crackdown on hoarders,” she advised.

The Ministry of Food Security told the house that the fertilizer industry getting subsidy over gas. “Smuggling of fertilizer, wheat and sugar has been a governance failure,” Sania Nishtar said.

Earlier, Food Minister informed the house that the government has permitted fertilizer import after getting permission from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) last week.