The government has decided to import 200,000 metric tons of fertilizer to overcome shortage of urea in local market and summary in this regard will be tabled in the next meeting of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A meeting of the Fertilizer Review Committee was held in Islamabad on Thursday, which recommended import of urea for the Kharif season.

Chairing the committee's meeting, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said 200,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer should be imported immediately to avoid shortage.

Demand for urea fertilizer in Kharif season is 3.6 percent higher than the last year.

In his remarks, Rana Tanveer Hussain said the purpose of import is to ensure food security in the country. He said this will increase the productivity of the farmers.

The federal minister assured that the farmers will have uninterrupted supply of urea fertilizer in Kharif season. He said all local urea fertilizer plants will also remain operational at full capacity. He said the government is ensuring gas supply to the fertilizer industry for the benefit of farmers.

The final decision to import urea fertilizer will be taken by the Economic Coordination Committee in the next meeting.

Reporter Waqas Azeem