YASIR WARDAD
A technical team from Morocco's Foundation OCP (FOCP) has arrived in Dhaka to roll out a three-year programme aimed at improving fertiliser use, restoring soil health and boosting farm productivity, officials said.
The initiative, titled "Driving agricultural innovation for sustainable development in Bangladesh", will be implemented under a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and FOCP, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of OCP Group, one of the world's largest phosphate producers.
A senior MoA official said a technical meeting will be held in Dhaka today (Tuesday) with key stakeholders, including the MoA, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
The Moroccan delegation is also scheduled to hold further discussions later in the day to finalise the initial implementation roadmap.
Signed in February 2026, the agreement ensures funding and technical support over three years (2026-2029) to modernise smallholder farming practices in three selected districts.
Officials said excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers -- nearly 7.0 million tonnes annually -- has contributed to declining soil fertility. The programme aims to address these challenges through balanced nutrient management, expanded soil testing and precision fertiliser application.
Around 12,000 to 15,000 farmers are expected to benefit directly from the initiative, while more than 30,000 will gain indirectly through knowledge transfer and improved farming practices. Over 150 lead farmers will be trained to serve as community resource persons.
The project comprises eight major components, including baseline assessments, soil testing infrastructure, fertiliser trials, demonstration plots, farmer training, digital agriculture tools and social empowerment initiatives.
Demonstration plots across 180 cluster sites will showcase improved practices such as crop diversification and integrated nutrient management.
Farmer Field Schools and Training of Trainers programmes are expected to train more than 1,000 farmers annually. Digital platforms will provide real-time advisories on soil nutrients, weather and market prices to support informed decision-making.
Bangladesh currently uses between 6.5 and 7.0 million tonnes of chemical fertilisers each year, including 3.0-3.2 million tonnes of urea, 1.6 million tonnes of DAP, 1.5 million tonnes of TSP and 1.0 million tonnes of MOP.
Domestic production meets less than one-sixth of demand, with the remainder imported from different countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Morocco, China, Russia and Canada.
Bangladesh primarily imports DAP and TSP from Morocco.
Agriculture Secretary Mohammed said the initiative would help enhance agricultural productivity while ensuring long-term sustainability of soil resources.
Prof Dr Abu Zafar Md Moslehuddin, head of Soil Science at Bangladesh Agricultural University, told the FE that the country's total arable land stands at around 8.82 million hectares, with nearly 76 percent suffering from moderate to very severe fertility loss due to excessive chemical use, pesticide dependency, monocropping and deforestation.
He warned that most arable land now contains less than 1.0 percent organic matter, describing the situation as alarming.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has recently cautioned that without improved soil management, Bangladesh's food production could decline by 25-30 per cent by 2050, posing a significant threat to national food security.
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