960419

Fertilizer import

bill may exceed

Rs 3bn

this year

ALMAS A KHAN

LAHORE: The Fertilizer Import Bill for the fiscal 1995-96 may exceed the figure of Rs 3 billion, which was stayed at Rs 2.1 billion in financial year 1994-95, mainly due to the increased domestic requirement, less production by the local urea plants and enhanced prices in the international market, Business Recorder learnt reliably.

Defining the reasons the sources said that the domestic requirement had increased by 10 to 15 percent during the current fiscal. Sources said that the prices in the international market had increased "substantially on different varieties, compared to the financial year 1994-95.

Sources further said that the third and last reason was less production by the local urea plants due to the loadshedding of natural gas in the country which resulted in a noticeable decrease by 40 percent in the urea production. In other words the local urea plants produced 60 percent urea of their total capacity, sources added.

Closure of urea plants in the country due to the loadshedding of natural gas has left a gap measuring 2,75,000 to 3,00,000 tonnes between the demand and supply. Sources said that order to fill this gap the Fertilizer Import Department (FID) is importing 90,000 tonnes of urea and 3,00,000 tonnes of Di-Ammono Phosphate (DAP) for the Kharif crop of this year.

It is worth mentioning that Fertilizers Import Bill during the last three years has been as follows:

Rs 6,438 million for 1,42,7,000 metric tons in 1992-93, Rs 8,018 million for 1,52,4,000 metric tons in 1993-94, Rs 5,632 million for 1,13,2,000 metric tons in 1993-94 (July-March) and Rs 2,051 million for 3,44,000 metric tons in 1994-95.