Acute urea shortfall hits Aus paddy cultivation
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
FHM Humayan Kabir
Farmers cultivating Aus paddy across the country, especially in the northern region, have been hit by acute shortfall in urea fertiliser supply over the past few weeks.
Some farmers in the northern region claimed that they were getting only a small quantity of fertiliser from the government appointed dealers, which is affecting cultivation of Aus paddy.
The cultivation of Aus paddy has already started and it will continue up to September this year.
Akbar Ali, a farmer at Mohanpur upazila in Rajshahi district, told the FE: "I have received only 20 kilograms of urea against my demand for 80kg. Now I will not be able to prepare the land for cultivation of Aus due to the fertiliser shortage."
A dealer in Rajshahi district said he could not supply adequate quantity of urea to the farmers due to short supply from the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
He said that BCIC had allocated only 10,000 tonnes of urea for the month of June for Rajshahi district against the demand for more that 21,000 tonnes.
According to sources in the agriculture ministry, the BCIC cut the urea supply by 50 per cent to the dealers over the last two months.
The sources said that they had projected the requirement at 84,674 tonnes and 83,595 tonnes of urea in May and June respectively, but the BCIC had supplied around half of the amount to the fertiliser dealers across the country.
When asked about the reasons for short supply of urea during the Aus season, a senior BCIC official said that the corporation had cut the supply to the dealers in order to reduce the expenditure on import and create a buffer stock for the next Boro season (December-March period).
"We have taken the decision due to unusual price hike of urea fertiliser in the international markets and the rise in freight charges. Currently, the price of urea in the international markets is US$360 to $390 per tonne against $230 to $260 three to four months ago," he said.
When contacted, industry ministry officials refused to comment on the current fertiliser supply problem.
A senior agriculture ministry official, however, said that the BCIC had been asked to supply adequate quantity of fertiliser to the farmers. Otherwise, the Aus production target this year will not be fulfilled, he feared.
Farmers cultivating Aus paddy across the country, especially in the northern region, have been hit by acute shortfall in urea fertiliser supply over the past few weeks.
Some farmers in the northern region claimed that they were getting only a small quantity of fertiliser from the government appointed dealers, which is affecting cultivation of Aus paddy.
The cultivation of Aus paddy has already started and it will continue up to September this year.
Akbar Ali, a farmer at Mohanpur upazila in Rajshahi district, told the FE: "I have received only 20 kilograms of urea against my demand for 80kg. Now I will not be able to prepare the land for cultivation of Aus due to the fertiliser shortage."
A dealer in Rajshahi district said he could not supply adequate quantity of urea to the farmers due to short supply from the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
He said that BCIC had allocated only 10,000 tonnes of urea for the month of June for Rajshahi district against the demand for more that 21,000 tonnes.
According to sources in the agriculture ministry, the BCIC cut the urea supply by 50 per cent to the dealers over the last two months.
The sources said that they had projected the requirement at 84,674 tonnes and 83,595 tonnes of urea in May and June respectively, but the BCIC had supplied around half of the amount to the fertiliser dealers across the country.
When asked about the reasons for short supply of urea during the Aus season, a senior BCIC official said that the corporation had cut the supply to the dealers in order to reduce the expenditure on import and create a buffer stock for the next Boro season (December-March period).
"We have taken the decision due to unusual price hike of urea fertiliser in the international markets and the rise in freight charges. Currently, the price of urea in the international markets is US$360 to $390 per tonne against $230 to $260 three to four months ago," he said.
When contacted, industry ministry officials refused to comment on the current fertiliser supply problem.
A senior agriculture ministry official, however, said that the BCIC had been asked to supply adequate quantity of fertiliser to the farmers. Otherwise, the Aus production target this year will not be fulfilled, he feared.