Industries Minister plays down fear of crisis; Tk 5,000 crore subsidy to farmers on count of fertilizer pries

By AKM Moinuddin

Dhaka, Oct 27 (UNB) – Industries Minister Dilip Barua today dismissed speculation of fertilizer scarcity in the ensuing boro season and assured the farmers of reaching them the essential input for which Tk 5,000 crore subsidy provided on count of import..
Allaying the fears of short supply of fertilizer Barua told a press conference in his office that government has arranged adequate stock in meeting the farmers demand through proper management.
“We’ve taken precautionary measures…farmers won’t face fertilizer crisis in the peak season as we’ve all arrangements to meet fertilizer demand,” said the Minister.
The country is now heavily depended on import of fertilizer to meet the demand of major agricultural input as some fertilizer factories under the BCIC remain inoperative due persisting gas crisis. Tk 4,500 to 5,000 crore has been provided as subsidy on count of fertilizer import alone.
The amount was slightly lower (Tk 3,295 crore) lower than the subsidy given last year. It is because of decline in fertilizer price in the international market.
“Fertilizer demand always remains all-time high during the January-March period. We’ve set total demand of 12, 08,382 metric tons during the peck season. Of which, some 3, 35,000 MTs will be imported,” Barua said.
The government, however, planned to import 16.81 lakh metric tones of Urea during the current fiscal year through state-to-sate deals, international tenders and from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO), Bangladesh.
Some 4.81 lakh metric tones of Urea will be procured through international tenders, while 6 lakh metric tones each from KAFCO and through state-to-state deals (Qatar-3 lakh MT, KSA-2 lakh MT, UAE-1 lakh MT).
“Both supply and production of fertilizers remained normal and farmers would not face any fertilizer crisis in the coming Boro season,” he said.
Talking about progress of fertilizer import he said about 17,000 metric tons of urea reached the country and were being unloaded at Chittagong and Mongla ports. Another 2 lakh MT of fertilizers will arrive by November.
The government set a demand target of fertilizer at 28.31 lakh metric tons for the current year, showing a sharp drop in targeted demand compared to the previous year’s target, when it was 29.51 lakh metric tons. The demand target of TSP and DAP (diammonium phosphates) is 5.60 lakh metric tones and 3.40 lakh metric tones respectively.
He claimed that the farmers haven’t faced any fertilizer crisis during the tenure of the present government, and nobody has had to sacrifice their lives for fertilizer, as happened before.
The actual production of fertilizer producing units under the BCIC till October 25 stood at 1, 66,194 metric tones against total production target of 11.50 lakh metric tones.
END/UNB