Ministry plans to import 1.75m tonnes of fertiliser

The Ministry of Agriculture plans to import 1.75 million tonnes of MOP and DAP fertilisers to meet the demand for the upcoming fiscal year 2018-19, reports UNB.
According to a government document obtained by the news agency, the requirement was determined through a countrywide survey, conducted by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the ministry.
Of the demand, 850,000 tonnes will be met with MOP (Muriate of Potash) fertiliser while the remaining 900,000 tonnes with DAP (Diammonium phosphate) fertiliser.
The document also reveals that the entire demand for MOP and DAP will be met through import from foreign sources, both in public and private sectors.
Of this, the ministry's marketing outfit, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), will import about half of the total MOP and DAP fertilisers from state-owned companies of different countries.
In this case, Morocco, Russia, Belarus, Canada and Saudi Arabia will be the main suppliers of such chemical fertilisers from which Bangladesh have been importing MOP and DAP for the last several years under government-to-government agreements.
As per the BADC plan, it will import 500,000 tonnes of MOP and 400,000 tonnes of DAP fertilisers under the G-to-G contracts.
Of this, each 150,000-200,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser will be imported from Russia, Belarus and Canada while 250,000-350,000 tonnes of DAP from Saudi Arabia's Ma'aden company.
For the current fiscal year of 2017-18, the BADC signed separate contracts with four state-owned companies of four countries for importing a total of 840,000 tonnes of MOP and DAP fertilisers. Those contracts will expire in June this year.
So, an official said, the ministry has moved a proposal to renew its existing contracts with those countries and the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee recently approved the proposal for the import of bulk fertiliser.