Stock of urea fertilizer sufficient: Industries Minister

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Friday said Bangladesh meets the demand for urea with local production besides importing it from other countries.

"Now Bangladesh has enough stock of urea fertilizer," he said, replying to a question from journalists at Tungipara in Gopalganj.

Earlier, a team led by the Industries Minister and State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman placing wreaths at his mausoleum in Tungipara, said a PID handout here.

Nurul Majid said the prices of cement and rod have increased. The government has been making efforts to ease the sufferings of the people. In the next few months, the situation will be improved largely, he added.

Later, the industries minister joined a function arranged to unveil the plaque of a buffer godown for fertilizer, which is being constructed by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) at Ghonapara in Gopalganj Sadar upazila.

Addressing the function, he said the country has a demand for at least 25 lakh metric tons of urea fertilizer. But it needs to meet 60pc-70pc of this demand by importing urea from foreign countries.

Majid said the imported fertilizers are supplied to the rural farmers through 25 buffer godowns of BADC, which are located in different districts.

He said the Gopalganj fertilizer godown with the capacity of 10,000 metric tons is being implemented at the cost of some 34 crore. The physical progress of the warehouse is 40 percent.

The minister directed the project authority to complete the project soon.