The president of Pakistan Kissan Committee Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad, Awami Jamhoori Party provincial general secretary Advocate Rana Muhammad Azam and district secretary Muhammad Zubair have criticised the government for ignoring agriculture sector in the federal budget. Addressing a meeting at Toba Tek Singh, they said that only DAP fertiliser had been subsidised while its prices were also not fixed, adding in this way the fertiliser producing companies could fix the prices of their own. They protested that during last few weeks, the rates of all sorts of fertilisers had shot up. They maintained that the TSP fertiliser which was available at Rs 375 per bag was now being sold at Rs 850 per bag and Nitrophos and Potashium which were being sold at Rs 850 per bag were now available at Rs 2,200 per bag while the rate of Urea fertiliser had risen from Rs 450 per bag to Rs 750 per bag. They feared that if the situation went on, small farmers would be unable to purchase and use fertilisers, as a result per acre yield would be badly affected. They demanded of the government to provide subsidy on all fertilisers and pesticides to enhance agricultural output. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008