Open AccessDemand for Nitrogenous Fertilizers and Fertilizer Price Policy in Pakistan
Author(s) -
M. Ghaffar Chaudhry,
Maria Javed
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
pakistan development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.154
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 0030-9729
DOI - 10.30541/v15i1pp.1-7
Subject(s) - fertilizer , consumption (sociology) , economics , agricultural economics , agriculture , production (economics) , acre , agricultural productivity , natural resource economics , environmental science , agronomy , agricultural science , macroeconomics , ecology , biology , social science , sociology
One of the major constraints to an increase in Pakistan'sagricultural production is low fertilizer input. Despite spectaculargrowth of fertilizer con¬sumption during the '60s the rate of fertilizerapplication in Pakistan remains below the optimal rate [8, pp.77-90]and far below the rates in advanced countries [15, p. 24]. An upwardmovement of the rate of fertilizer applica¬tion, essential to avoidrecurring loss of agricultural production, entails ap¬propriate policymeasures over a long time-horizon. Appropriate policy guidance may wellbe derived from the experience of the '60s. It is believed that lowfertilizer prices, among other factors, contributed enormously to thegrowth in fertilizer consumption [9, pp.419-25]. Towards the end of the'60s, however, the fertilizer prices increased causing a decline of peracre and total fertilizer consumption [15, p. 24]. As fertilizer is acritical input, reduced consumption is translated into reducedagricultural output, higher prices of agricultural commodities or both.