Uninterrupted gas supply to fertiliser plants promised

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Petroleum Muhammad Ali said on Tuesday that the government was committed to ensuring uninterrupted gas supply to all fertilizer plants during the current winter season to maximize fertilizer production.

Addressing a presser along with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi and Minister for Interior Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, the petroleum minister said, “In the current year, it has been decided that fertilizer plants will operate at full capacity without any closure during the winter months to achieve maximum fertilizer output.”

Emphasizing the significance of maintaining full operational capacity, Ali assured that all plants, including Fatima Fertilizer and Agritech plants, would be running at full capacity throughout the current winter season, adding the decision aimed at ensuring a consistent and sufficient local supply of fertilizer to farmers.

Addressing concerns over hoarding of fertilizer, Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti assured the action is being taken against hoarders, and the provision of urea to farmers is being closely monitored.

Bugti asked the provincial chief secretaries to act against hoarders and take them into task for causing artificial shortage of fertilizer. He also mentioned the curbing of fertilizer smuggling and the placement of import orders for 220,000 tons of urea.

Bugti asserted that no urea plant was shut down due to gas shortage. He announced to remove Afghan nationals from voter lists, stating that NADRA was now a security institution, and Pakistan would not tolerate illegal migrants.