Farmers are feeling the pinch as fertiliser prices climb amid shortages, real as the Boro season kicks off – a well-known length that reaps over 2 crore tonnes of rice, guaranteeing meals security for the year.
With heavy reliance on irrigation, the Boro rice season begins in November-December with seedbed preparation, adopted by planting in January-February and harvesting in April-Would possibly perhaps perhaps.
TBS correspondents in Lakshmipur, Naogaon, Bagura, Gaibandha, Khulna, and Rajshahi account that farmers are now paying an additional Tk2-11 per kg for both urea and non-urea fertilisers.
Fertiliser dealers told TBS that designate increases are peculiar at the originate of the Boro season as a consequence of rising ask, nonetheless this year, stock ranges are low. However, agricultural officers said “there’s no longer a accurate shortage” and urged that some dealers are inflating prices by hoarding and syndication.
Per the Department of Agricultural Extension, alongside rice, the seasonal production of onion, potato, mustard, wheat and wide-scale vegetables ensures year-spherical supply. So, December-March is believed to be the discontinue season for cleave and vegetable production.
Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian told TBS that they fetch got obtained complaints of overpricing and strict actions are being pondering in regards to the serve of the local administration. However, managing this mission at the retail level is worthy.
He added that whereas there’s no longer a accurate fertiliser shortage, delays in supply could per chance additionally just cause pointless fear. If any overpricing is reported, rapid action would per chance be taken in opposition to the perpetrators.
However, the secretary’s enlighten of “no shortage” contradicts the information, which clearly signifies an absence.
Most modern stock of urea and non-urea fertilisers
The Bangladesh Agricultural Trend Company (BADC), below the Ministry of Agriculture, is the principle dealer of non-urea fertilisers – TSP, DAP, and MOP. Furthermore, non-public importers make contributions to the provision of non-urea fertilisers.
An prognosis of the on hand data of non-urea fertilisers, offered by the Ministry of Agriculture (as of 10 December), shows that the ask for non-urea fertilisers from December to March is 3.61 lakh tonnes for TSP, 7.44 lakh tonnes for DAP, and 4.13 lakh tonnes for MOP.
However, the final stock on hand in BADC warehouses and in transit includes finest 1.02 lakh tonnes of TSP, 1.39 lakh tonnes of DAP, and a pair of.29 lakh tonnes of MOP.
Non-public importers will supply phase of the ask, namely, 25.68% of the TSP ask, 30.43% of the DAP ask, and 18.37% of the MOP ask.
Whereas the BADC stays the greatest dealer, it has been unable to amass sufficient stock to completely meet the ask.
A senior BADC official, on condition of anonymity, told TBS that the import pipeline doesn’t fetch sufficient to meet the final top season ask.
The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Company (BCIC), below the Ministry of Industries, supplies urea both by local production and imports. However, an absence of urea fertiliser has been ongoing for the reason that starting of this fiscal year as a consequence of a buck crisis and political upheaval.
The annual urea ask is 32 lakh tonnes, with 27 lakh tonnes being usable, whereas 5 lakh tonnes are kept as security reserves. Of this, the ask for urea between December and March by myself is 14.5 lakh tonnes, with ask for December exceeding 3.15 lakh tonnes, in step with BCIC data.
The BCIC has 7.25 lakh tonnes of urea in stock, which includes the 5 lakh tonnes of reserve and the 1.5 lakh tonnes to be imported for December. In January, 2.1 lakh tonnes would per chance be imported, 1.5 lakh tonnes in February, and 30,000 tonnes in March.
Stakeholders said any delays in fertiliser imports could per chance additionally irritate the crisis.
Why the crisis?
The war for urea fertiliser began at the originate of the fiscal year as imports were hindered by diversified factors, including the political and buck crises.
Furthermore, many of the country’s 5 urea factories had been shut down as a consequence of a gasoline crisis, leading the BCIC to manufacture much less fertiliser than required in July, August, and November.
BCIC Chairman Md Saidur Rahman told TBS, “Fertiliser imports fetch now resumed fully for the reason that buck crisis eased a puny, and future consignments will come on time.”
From July to the principle week of December, 5.15 lakh tonnes of urea fertiliser had been imported, and 5.4 lakh tonnes had been produced domestically, he said.
Passe agriculture secretary Anwar Farooq told TBS that there’s sufficient fertiliser for December. However, if imported fertiliser doesn’t come on time, there is in overall a crisis in January and February, which would per chance per chance per chance negatively affect production. The government have to give consideration to love a flash constructing fertiliser reserves.
What attain farmers and dealers shriek?
The government presents subsidies for urea and non-urea fertilisers and has say their prices nonetheless there were stories of fertilisers being bought at bigger charges all over the country.
Some dealers and sellers were brought below the law for these designate violations. On 29 November, a cell court in Boda upazila, Panchagarh sentenced a middleman to six months in penal advanced and fined a vendor Tk2 lakh for illegally hoarding and promoting fertilisers at inflated prices.
Anwar Hossain, a vendor and supervisor at Akhter Traders in Chawkbazar, Cumilla city, said all fertilisers moreover for TSP are in factual supply. However, TSP is being bought at Tk29 per kg as an different of the fixed designate of Tk27 as a consequence of high transportation prices.
Md Abdul Majed, a sub-vendor in Bashikpur Bazar, Lakshmipur sadar upazila, said fertiliser prices tend to upward thrust without notice right by the originate of Boro season as a consequence of manufacture crises. “I fetch to pay dealers an additional Tk150-200 per salvage of urea and non-urea fertilisers, which outcomes in bigger retail prices for farmers,” he said.
Abul Barakat, a vegetable farmer from Char Mansa village in Lakshmipur sadar upazila, said he bought urea this week for Tk35 per kg and DAP for Tk40. Some vendors are also promoting DAP and TSP at Tk50 per kg.
Farmers claimed dealers are promoting fertilisers to retailers at inflated prices as an different of presently to farmers, forcing them to aquire at bigger retail prices.
Lakshmipur retailer Majed, nonetheless, said dealers have to no longer offering sufficient fertiliser available within the market as a consequence of an absence.
When requested, Lakshmipur Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Shamsuddin Firoz said, “There could be no such thing as an absence of fertiliser. We will rob appropriate action if we salvage any complaints referring to the sale of fertiliser at inflated prices.”
