Advisory Council approves Fertilizer Management (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 for preventing sale of substandard fertilizer

Dhaka, Sep 8 (UNB) - The Council of Advisers of the caretaker government Saturday approved in principle the Fertilizer Management (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 aimed at stopping the sale of mixture of substances or low-grade fertilizers in the name of organic fertilizer. A regular weekly meeting of the advisory council, presided over by Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, gave the approval to a proposal for amending the Fertilizer Management (Act) 2006 through the ordinance placed by Agricultural Ministry, according to CA’s Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim. Another proposal was placed for constituting Joint Commission on bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and Myanmar. After thoroughly discussing the proposal, the meeting asked the Foreign Ministry to “reexamine its various clauses” and place it again before the council. The council of advisers also elaborately discussed the draft National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2007 placed by the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. It asked the Ministry to reexamine and place the ordinance afresh. Regarding the fertilizer ordinance, the meeting observed that “farmers are being cheated in buying organic fertilizers which are not at all organic fertilizers or are substandard organic fertilizer”. In the previous Fertilizer Management Act production, marketing, import and other matters were included but not the matter of organic fertilizer. In the new Fertilizer Management Ordinance in the making, definition of organic and mixed fertilizers, inscription of manufacturing date and maximum retail price of fertilizer on fertilizer bags have been proposed. The meeting also discussed and asked for reexamining incorporation of expiry date of fertilizer in the draft Ordinance All members of the Advisory Council attended the meeting at the CA’s Office. Cabinet Secretary and other concerned Secretaries were also present.