Boro cultivation in the country may face a serious setback as supply chain has seriously been disrupted recently due to the ongoing blockade that started on January 6.
Prices of the key inputs seed, fertiliser- have already shot up significantly in many areas following the blockade, farmers said.
Both fertiliser traders and farmers are worried over frequent disruptions in the supply chain of fertiliser in the northern, southern and central regions threatening smooth Boro cultivation.
Md Mubarak Hossain, a farmer at Purbaziarukhi village under Gopalpur union at Kushtia Sadar told the FE that his seed bed is ready to plant seedlings.
A good quantity of urea and non-urea is needed in the plantation period, he said.
"The price of urea has increased by Tk40-50 per sack (50 kg), non-urea like TSP and DAP prices also registered a rise by Tk 3-5 per kg", he said.
The sellers attributed the price hike of fertiliser to the increased transportation cost.
He said they need 35 kgs of urea and 17-18 kgs of non-urea for per bigha (33 decimal in the area) of land. Due to price rise now they have to spend an additional amount of Tk100-120 per bigha.
Taposh Kumar Saha, secretary of Bangladesh Fertiliser Association (BFA), Nilphamari Unit told the FE that it will be possible to distribute fertiliser for the next few days smoothly from the stock.
"But, if the blockade continues for few more days, it would be tough to maintain a sound supply in this peak Boro season," he said.
He said every union has now a fertiliser dealer, but the union dealers will have to get the fertiliser in time so that they can distribute those to farmers.
Normal transportation through land route from Nagarbari or Baghabari to North Bengal is very important for smooth supply.
An agriculture ministry official told the FE that the demand for fertiliser in January is 0.707 million tonnes of which urea is 0.428 million tonnes and the rest is non- urea including TSP, DAP and MOP.
In February the demand for urea is 0.438 million tonnes and non -urea 0.163 million tonnes. He said smooth supply of fertiliser in January and February is very important for Boro cultivation.
He said the blockade may impede the cultivation if the required fertiliser is not distributed properly in January and February.
Secretary of BAF, Dhaka district Md Fazlul Hoque, told the FE that the16 northern districts, which contribute more than 40 per cent of boro crop, get fertiliser supply from Bhaghabari and Nagarbari river ports.
Greater Jessore and Khulna regions get fertiliser from Jessore buffer stock, Kaliganj buffer stock in Jhenaidha and Shiromoni buffer stock in Khulna.
He said transportation through river route is almost normal but after reaching the river ports, the challenge is on the land route.
He also said truck fare has increased to Tk18000-20000 from Ghorashal fertiliser factory which was only Tk7000-8000 a few days back.
Secretary of Bangladesh Anta-Zila Truck Chalak Union, an organisation of truck drivers, Md Millat Hossain, told the FE that truck owners are not willing to ply their vehicles.
He said 10-12 trucks have been vandalised in last four days across the country which has created panic among the owners.
He said if the blockade continues the transportation of goods will seriously be hampered.
Plantation of Boro, the single largest crop in terms of output, is now going on across the country.
Boro is a contributing component of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) as the crops and horticulture sector accounts for more than 10 per cent of the economy.
Analysts say if Boro, which accounts for around 55 per cent of the total rice production, is affected by the disruption in fertiliser supply, country's GDP growth will fall sharply in FY '15.
Farm economist Golam Hafiz Kennedy said Boro is the biggest crop and if it is affected, it will drive down the GDP growth.
He also said potato, onion, garlic and other Rabi crops cultivation would also be affected by the shortage of key agricultural inputs.
If supply of urea is disrupted, the target to get 18.9 million tonnes in the ongoing Boro season may not be achieved in FY'15, he said.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country produced a record ever 34.35 million tonnes of rice in FY'14 of which boro contributed 19.0 million tonnes.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
Fertiliser supply disruption may hit Boro output hard
Yasir Wardad | Published: January 09, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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