Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday termed the notification of Kissan Package a piece of paper and observed that the federal government gave the subsidy without any law.

The court also questioned about the imported fertilizer being provided to the farmers on subsidised rates under the Kissan Package of Rs 20 billion with the observation as to who will examine the quality of the imported stuff.

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal heard the federal government’s appeal against the December 8, 2015 judgment of the Peshawar High Court regarding subsidy.

Agritech Limited, manufacturer of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) in Haripur, District Hazara, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, had challenged the government’s discriminatory attitude in the distribution of subsidy.

The Peshawar High Court while deciding the case in favour of the petitioner had ruled that there should be no discrimination in distribution of subsidy to fertilizer producers.

The federal government last year in October 2015 had announced subsidy to farmers on the purchase of di-ammonium phosphate, nitrophosphate and nitrogen, phosphours and potassium fertilizer with immediate effect.

According to the notification of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the facility will continue till the pledged amount of Rs 20 billion is spent.

On Thursday, Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf, while arguing before the court contended that quality fertilizer was being imported from Indonesia, Jordan and Morocco adding that the government gives a subsidy of Rs 196/ per bag to the farmers.

Attorney General when read out the said notification, Justice Qazi Faez Isa observed that the notification was just a piece of paper adding that the government gave the subsidy in Kissan Package without any law. Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan asked as to who will determine the quality of imported fertilizer.

The Deputy Food Security Commissioner however, informed the court that the local made fertilizer contained 12 per cent phosphorous while the imported one contains 18 per cent phosphorous.

“Do you want to say that the imported fertilizer’s quality is better than the local one”, Justice Isa asked the learned Attorney General.

He said that if the fertilizer being produced locally was not of good quality than it should be banned.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General concluded his arguments and Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Agritech Limited will commence his arguments today (Friday).