ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed officials to explore alternative fertilizer supplies from Central Asian countries and initiate plans for new domestic production facilities as Pakistan seeks to strengthen food security amid Gulf supply chain disruptions.
The move comes as Islamabad seeks to shield its agriculture sector from potential supply shocks, amid ongoing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz that threaten to disrupt global fertilizer trade.
A significant share of urea and ammonia exports originate in Gulf countries and transits the strategic waterway, making it a critical route in global agricultural supply chains.
According to the PM’s office, Sharif chaired a meeting on food security and fertilizer stocks in the country, at which he directed authorities to ensure timely availability of fertilizers to farmers.
“Given the disruption in fertilizer supply chains from Gulf countries, the Prime Minister directs planning for alternative fertilizer supply from Central Asian countries,” the PM Office said in a statement.
“Work on projects to set up new plants to increase local fertilizer production should be accelerated,” Sharif was quoted as saying.
Pakistan is currently in the final stages of the Rabi season — the winter cropping cycle that includes wheat — while preparing for the upcoming Kharif season, when crops such as rice, cotton and maize are sown. Timely availability of fertilizers is therefore crucial for yields.
Participants of the meeting were told that natural gas supplies to fertilizer plants for domestic production were continuing, and that adequate fertilizer stocks were available for the upcoming Kharif crops, according to Sharif’s office.
Sharif said ensuring food security and meeting the needs of the agriculture sector remained the government’s top priority, directing authorities to continuously monitor fertilizer supply and take action against “artificial shortages and hoarding of fertilizers.”
In April, Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said Pakistan was partly protected from supply shocks since it produces much of its urea domestically. However, regional tensions could still affect local prices, amid already high fertilizer costs.
Officials have also cited risks of smuggling due to a sharp gap between domestic and international fertilizer prices, prompting calls for tighter monitoring to ensure adequate local availability.
