Stop using TSP complex for urea purpose
Md. Sadeque | Saturday, 23 August 2008
It is learnt from different sources that TSP complex located at Patenga, Chittagong - a unit of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) -- is going to bag imported urea at the TSP Complex Ltd stopping the SSP plant. BCIC is importing urea - a costly fertilizer. The decision to import in bulk is a right decision, but to bag this on the premises of TSP Complex Ltd. by stopping single super phosphate plant is a serious mistake.
TSP complex, as it is learnt, will use the TSP jetty and the conveyor belts for transportation of rock phosphate and sulfur. Urea is very much hygroscopic (affinity to moisture). The urea will pick up moisture on the way to the godown as the conveyor belts are not suitable for urea. The godown is not also suitable for storage of urea and will cause urea to be caked. Even urea may be lost as it is easily soluble in water. In the conveyor belt system, there will be huge spillage from the several transport points. This cannot be recovered like sulfur and rock phosphate. There will be huge loss of urea.
Millions of tons of urea in bulk were imported by BADC and was bagged by Bulk Management Bangladesh Ltd (BMBL) at a jetty at the Chittagong port. Bulk Management Bangladesh is a joint venture of BCIC. Reasons are unknown why bulk management is not being used. The equipment of BMBL could be installed at the TSP jetty for bagging. And after bagging at the jetty, the urea so bagged could be transported to any destination directly, efficiently and safely.
For all practical purposes, it is a wild idea to close the SSP plant. SSP is the second macro fertilizer after urea. Urea alone cannot provide the nutrient to the plants. In India, Pakistan, China, New Zealand and Australia, SSP is being used on a large scale. Last year, India produced 6.7 million tons of SSP. Good quality rock phosphate has been depleted all over the world. For manufacturing phosphoric acid for TSP and DAP, good quality rock phosphate is required. In contrast, SSP does not require high grade rock phosphate. It supply not only phosphorus but also sulfur and calcium which are very much required for the soil of Bangladesh.
The BCIC cannot afford to import high grade phosphate rock and phosphoric acid to manufacture TSP and DAP economically by the cumbersome process of procurement. SSP was first manufactured at the TSP Complex during 1988-90 by modifying TSP-1 plant. The TSP complex could manufacture around 100,000 MT SSP annually. With the combined effort of BCIC (TSP Complex) and ATDP, the consumption of SSP reached 5,56,881 MT. ATDP (Agro-based Industries & Technology Development Project) was funded by the USAID, as far as the scribe could recollect, and was the consultant to the Ministry of Agriculture, of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). They published leaflets in Bangla and popularized it at the farm level. SSP is a low analysis but wonderful fertilizer. This is very much suitable for robi crop. Unfortunately, except TSP complex, the manufacturing and import of SSP was banned in Bangladesh without any valid reason. In India, SSP is supplied in the form of powder so that farmers are not confused with granular DAP and TSP.
In conclusion, this writer urges the Ministry of Industries, BCIC and TSP complex Ltd., to abandon the wild idea of transporting, storing and bagging of urea on the TSP complex premises using their conveyor system and the godown meant for rock phosphate and sulfur. Otherwise, a large amount of urea as well as public fund will be wasted. Instead, immediate attempt could be made to bag urea at the TSP complex jetty and transport the same directly from the jetty safely. This will save precious foreign currency and save the public property.
TSP complex, as it is learnt, will use the TSP jetty and the conveyor belts for transportation of rock phosphate and sulfur. Urea is very much hygroscopic (affinity to moisture). The urea will pick up moisture on the way to the godown as the conveyor belts are not suitable for urea. The godown is not also suitable for storage of urea and will cause urea to be caked. Even urea may be lost as it is easily soluble in water. In the conveyor belt system, there will be huge spillage from the several transport points. This cannot be recovered like sulfur and rock phosphate. There will be huge loss of urea.
Millions of tons of urea in bulk were imported by BADC and was bagged by Bulk Management Bangladesh Ltd (BMBL) at a jetty at the Chittagong port. Bulk Management Bangladesh is a joint venture of BCIC. Reasons are unknown why bulk management is not being used. The equipment of BMBL could be installed at the TSP jetty for bagging. And after bagging at the jetty, the urea so bagged could be transported to any destination directly, efficiently and safely.
For all practical purposes, it is a wild idea to close the SSP plant. SSP is the second macro fertilizer after urea. Urea alone cannot provide the nutrient to the plants. In India, Pakistan, China, New Zealand and Australia, SSP is being used on a large scale. Last year, India produced 6.7 million tons of SSP. Good quality rock phosphate has been depleted all over the world. For manufacturing phosphoric acid for TSP and DAP, good quality rock phosphate is required. In contrast, SSP does not require high grade rock phosphate. It supply not only phosphorus but also sulfur and calcium which are very much required for the soil of Bangladesh.
The BCIC cannot afford to import high grade phosphate rock and phosphoric acid to manufacture TSP and DAP economically by the cumbersome process of procurement. SSP was first manufactured at the TSP Complex during 1988-90 by modifying TSP-1 plant. The TSP complex could manufacture around 100,000 MT SSP annually. With the combined effort of BCIC (TSP Complex) and ATDP, the consumption of SSP reached 5,56,881 MT. ATDP (Agro-based Industries & Technology Development Project) was funded by the USAID, as far as the scribe could recollect, and was the consultant to the Ministry of Agriculture, of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). They published leaflets in Bangla and popularized it at the farm level. SSP is a low analysis but wonderful fertilizer. This is very much suitable for robi crop. Unfortunately, except TSP complex, the manufacturing and import of SSP was banned in Bangladesh without any valid reason. In India, SSP is supplied in the form of powder so that farmers are not confused with granular DAP and TSP.
In conclusion, this writer urges the Ministry of Industries, BCIC and TSP complex Ltd., to abandon the wild idea of transporting, storing and bagging of urea on the TSP complex premises using their conveyor system and the godown meant for rock phosphate and sulfur. Otherwise, a large amount of urea as well as public fund will be wasted. Instead, immediate attempt could be made to bag urea at the TSP complex jetty and transport the same directly from the jetty safely. This will save precious foreign currency and save the public property.