New fertiliser dealership policy after current Boro season: Matia
FE Report | Monday, 9 March 2009
A high-powered government body has decided in principle to devise a new policy on appointment of fertiliser dealers across the country after the current 'Boro' season.
"Since the Boro cropping season is on, we have to maintain a status-quo in the existing fertiliser dealer appointment policy. A new policy will be formulated after the end of the current Boro season," Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told the meeting of the national fertiliser affairs committee.
Matia, who is also the head of the recently recast committee, asked the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to submit soon details about the progress on the proposal for setting up two fertiliser factories in the country.
The meeting was informed that of the proposed feartiliser factories, one was to be up at Fenchuganj while the other in the country's northern region, the meeting sources said.
Matia said she would place the proposals on the two fertiliser factory projects before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for their early implementation.
The fertliser body sat for the first time after the new government took office in January 2009 to review the overall supply and distribution arrangements for the current Boro cropping season.
The meeting was informed that there was no supply crisis of fertiliser as its availability, especially urea, is sufficient for meeting the growing demand for the item during the ongoing Boro season.
According to official sources, preparations were taken earlier for making nearly 1.59 million tonnes of urea during the December-March period - the peak cultivation season of Boro crop - against the projected demand of nearly 1.50 million tonnes of urea for the said period.
Currently, around 5000 authorised dealers are engaged in the distribution of urea under government arrangement throughout the country, an official told the FE.
Citing official figures, they motioned that the country's total demand for urea has been estimated at 2.85 million tonnes for the current fiscal year (FY) 2008-09.
On the other hand, 2.99 million tonnes of urea are expected to be available by the end of this fiscal, official figures showed.
Of the total, about 1.69 million tonnes of urea are expected to be produced locally while demand for the remaining 1.30 million tonnes will be met through import, officials said.
"Since the Boro cropping season is on, we have to maintain a status-quo in the existing fertiliser dealer appointment policy. A new policy will be formulated after the end of the current Boro season," Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told the meeting of the national fertiliser affairs committee.
Matia, who is also the head of the recently recast committee, asked the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to submit soon details about the progress on the proposal for setting up two fertiliser factories in the country.
The meeting was informed that of the proposed feartiliser factories, one was to be up at Fenchuganj while the other in the country's northern region, the meeting sources said.
Matia said she would place the proposals on the two fertiliser factory projects before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for their early implementation.
The fertliser body sat for the first time after the new government took office in January 2009 to review the overall supply and distribution arrangements for the current Boro cropping season.
The meeting was informed that there was no supply crisis of fertiliser as its availability, especially urea, is sufficient for meeting the growing demand for the item during the ongoing Boro season.
According to official sources, preparations were taken earlier for making nearly 1.59 million tonnes of urea during the December-March period - the peak cultivation season of Boro crop - against the projected demand of nearly 1.50 million tonnes of urea for the said period.
Currently, around 5000 authorised dealers are engaged in the distribution of urea under government arrangement throughout the country, an official told the FE.
Citing official figures, they motioned that the country's total demand for urea has been estimated at 2.85 million tonnes for the current fiscal year (FY) 2008-09.
On the other hand, 2.99 million tonnes of urea are expected to be available by the end of this fiscal, official figures showed.
Of the total, about 1.69 million tonnes of urea are expected to be produced locally while demand for the remaining 1.30 million tonnes will be met through import, officials said.