UNB, Dhaka :
The government will import 1.4 million tonnes (mt) of fertilizer from Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia during the 2017-18 fiscal year to meet the demand of farmers, an official document of the Ministry of Agriculture reveals.
According to the document obtained by UNB, the Agriculture Ministry has set a requirement of 1.5 million tonnes (mt) of fertiliser on the basis of a countrywide field survey conducted by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). Of the total 1.5 million, the survey shows, the country will need 650,000 mts TSP fertiliser and 850,000 mts DAP fertiliser. The Agriculture Ministry has also finalised a plan to collect the required fertiliser both through import and domestic production.
As part of the plan, it will import 1.4 million mt of fertiliser under both the public and private initiatives while the remaining 100,000 mt will come from the production of fertiliser of different fertiliser factories owned by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
In the public sector, state-owned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) will import a bulk portion of fertiliser from three major countries – Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia – by extending its
current contracts of import. Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture placed a proposal to the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee to approve its plan to import 150,000-200,000 mt of TSP and 50,000-100,000 mt of DAP fertiliser from Morocco, some 200,000-250,000 mt of TSP fertiliser from Tunisia and also 200,000-250,000 mt of DAP fertiliser from Saudi Arabia to meet the country’s requirement.
The committee approved the plan and gave a go-ahead to extend the existing contracts to import fertiliser from time to time from the three countries considering the country’s requirement, official sources said.
BADC has been importing fertiliser from the three countries for the last several years under the state-to-state agreements. In the last fiscal year of 2016-17, the BADC imported 775,000 mt of fertiliser from the three under three separate agreements with them which will expire between October 18 and 26 this year.
The government will import 1.4 million tonnes (mt) of fertilizer from Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia during the 2017-18 fiscal year to meet the demand of farmers, an official document of the Ministry of Agriculture reveals.
According to the document obtained by UNB, the Agriculture Ministry has set a requirement of 1.5 million tonnes (mt) of fertiliser on the basis of a countrywide field survey conducted by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). Of the total 1.5 million, the survey shows, the country will need 650,000 mts TSP fertiliser and 850,000 mts DAP fertiliser. The Agriculture Ministry has also finalised a plan to collect the required fertiliser both through import and domestic production.
As part of the plan, it will import 1.4 million mt of fertiliser under both the public and private initiatives while the remaining 100,000 mt will come from the production of fertiliser of different fertiliser factories owned by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
In the public sector, state-owned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) will import a bulk portion of fertiliser from three major countries – Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia – by extending its
current contracts of import. Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture placed a proposal to the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee to approve its plan to import 150,000-200,000 mt of TSP and 50,000-100,000 mt of DAP fertiliser from Morocco, some 200,000-250,000 mt of TSP fertiliser from Tunisia and also 200,000-250,000 mt of DAP fertiliser from Saudi Arabia to meet the country’s requirement.
The committee approved the plan and gave a go-ahead to extend the existing contracts to import fertiliser from time to time from the three countries considering the country’s requirement, official sources said.
BADC has been importing fertiliser from the three countries for the last several years under the state-to-state agreements. In the last fiscal year of 2016-17, the BADC imported 775,000 mt of fertiliser from the three under three separate agreements with them which will expire between October 18 and 26 this year.
