RANGPUR, Nov 23: For want of sufficient space, around 3,500 tonnes of urea fertiliser allocated for the current Rabi crop season have been kept under the open sky on the premises of the buffer warehouse in Rangpur district.
Dealers and farmers are passing days with worry as the huge quantity of fertiliser is likely to lose effectiveness or get damaged because of exposure to fog, drizzle and heat of the sun. The quality of the fertiliser may also decrease, it is apprehended.
According to official sources at the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) Rangpur buffer warehouse, at present around 11,000 tonnes of urea is kept at the buffer godown against its capacity to accommodate only 5,000 tonnes.
Shortage of space in the warehouse compelled the authorities to pile up the huge fertiliser bags under the open sky, they added.
Buffer warehouse authorities told The Financial Express that during Rabi season, around 45,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser is required for the cultivation of different crops including potato, winter vegetables and other crops in the district.
They said, in recent times, supply of fertiliser in the district has increased several times than before according to huge demand. But in that proportion no new godowns have been constructed to store fertilisers.
In addition, 1,100 tonnes of urea fertiliser has been lying abandoned for more than 13 years in the BCIC buffer warehouse in Rangpur on account of legal complication as a case was filed against the supplier.
Officer-in-charge of Rangpur buffer warehouse Faisal Ahmed said these fertiliser sacks were supplied by a contracting firm named Noor Trading Company. The BCIC authorities decided not to distribute the fertiliser to the dealers until the case is settled.
He alleged that the company had supplied cracked, hard, coagulated, low weight and adulterated urea fertilisers to Rangpur BCIC warehouse.
As per instruction of BCIC, those fertiliser sacks were not accepted by the buffer warehouse authorities in Rangpur.
Since then the sacks of urea have been kept outdoors on the premises of the warehouse as unregistered manure. Meanwhile, a case was filed by the BCIC authorities against the said firm for supplying torn, hard, coagulated, underweight and adulterated urea fertiliser bags.
Sources said approximately 45,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser will be supplied during the peak season of five months from November to March among 106 dealers across the district.
According to experts, if urea fertiliser is left abandoned this way under open sky, its quality may diminish. So, it should be preserved following an appropriate method. Otherwise, production of crops may be hampered.
Head of the BCIC Northern region Mostafa Kamal said quality of the urea may not deteriorate even if the fertiliser is kept under open sky.
He added because of growing demand for the cultivation of potato and other Rabi crops, stock of the fertiliser kept in the open space may run out soon.
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