Pakistan’s fertilizer sale increases 38% in September 2011

The Fertilizer offtake registered increase of 38.28 percent during September 2011 over the same month of last year. “Sales of urea stood at 525,000 tons during September 2011 against 324,000 tons during September 2010,” official sources told reporter here Thursday. However, as compared to the sales of 556,000 tons in August 2011, the fertilizer offtake during September 2011 decreased by 5.57 percent.

On the other hand, the production of fertilizer stood at 472,000 tons during the month under review against the output of 425,000 tons during corresponding month of last year.

However as compared to the production of 484,000 during August 2011, showed the decrease of 2.47 percent. The import of fertilizer during the month was recorded at 117,000 tons against 67,000 tons during September 2010 and 82,000 tons in August 2011.

The sources said due to the floods of 2010, the sale of fertilizer was decreased as a vast areas of land was inundated adding this is the reason that this year a sharp increase was witnessed in fertilizer offtakes as compared to last year. The sources that other reason of increase in the sale during September 2011 was the overpurchasing owing to threat of shortage in the market due to curtail of gas supply.

The sources, however, appreciated the proposal of the ministry of Industry to import 700,000 tons fertilizer for rabi season but said that it should be imported timely.