ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry Thursday said that the first cargo ship carrying urea will reach Pakistan on February 10 from China. The news came as Pakistan is facing fertilizer shortage.

In a message from his Twitter handle, Fawad Chaudhry said that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved the import of 150,000 tonnes of fertilizers from China. “The first cargo ship carrying 50,000 tonnes of fertilizer will reach the port by February 10,” he said and added that the 600,000 tonnes of local fertilizer will also be available in the market from January.

He said that despite a hike in prices of urea in the international market, the farmers will not face a shortage of it in the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan has also directed all the provincial chief secretaries to take effective steps for the availability of urea by checking its illegal transportation to neighbouring countries, especially Afghanistan.