There is no fertiliser crisis in the country: Agriculture minister

There is no shortage of fertiliser in the country at present as a result of establishing good governance in fertiliser management. Farmers have no problem with fertiliser, said agriculture minister Md Abdur Razzak.

The minister was addressing a meeting of the National Coordinating and Advisory Committee on Fertilisers at the Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday.

Since 2006, the present government has given utmost importance to agricultural production. At first, the government decided to reduce the price of fertilisers. Price of DAP (Diammonium phosphate) fertiliser has reduced from Tk90 to Tk28, TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) from Tk80 to Tk22 and potassium from Tk80 to Tk15, said Abdur Razzak.

The decision to reduce the fertiliser price and the concerted efforts of all, including farmers, have led to an increase in agricultural production in Bangladesh, and the country has become self-sufficient in food grain at present, he added.

The demand for chemical fertilisers has been redetermined in the current fiscal year 2020-21 for expanded cultivation. The government has decided to procure an additional one lakh tonnes of urea and two lakh tonnes of DAP fertiliser.

In the current financial year, the demand for all chemical fertilisers has been fixed as 25.5 lakh tonnes of urea, 15 lakh tonnes of DAP, six million tonnes of TSP, MOP, gypsum etc.

Industries minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, state minister Kamal Ahmed Majumder, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture and former agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, industries secretary KM Ali Azam, fisheries and livestock ministry secretary Raunak Mahmud and other members of the committee were present at the programme.

Agriculture secretary Md Nasiruzzaman moderated the meeting.