http://www.weeklyblitz.net/index.php?id=304
Bangladesh in severe fertilizer crisis
Mahboob Ar Rahman
Despite repeated warnings by Weekly Blitz, Bangladesh government failed to take timely measures in recolsing the forecasted crisis of fertilizer, which has now finally put the agro production of the country into complete jeopardy. According to latest reports, iinadequate supply and exorbitant prices of fertilizers are set to affect the aman cultivation in the current season as 10 to 20 per cent of seedlings have already been transplanted, said officials and farmers. While a huge shortage of urea fertilizer is in sight, prices of non-urea fertilizers, mostly imported by the private sector, have spiralled out of farmers’ reach, which may lead to less-than-required use of the soil nutrients and result in poor harvest, many feared. The estimated demand for urea in this season is about 7.88 lakh tonnes, while the current stock of urea held by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation was around 3.03 lakh tonnes only till July 15. The state-owned agency is the sole authority to ensure supply urea from its factories or imports. The requirement for other fertilizers, mainly triple super phosphate, muriate of potash and di-ammonium phosphate, for the aman crop from mid-July to September is respectively 93,938 tonnes, 79,452 tonnes and 39,426 tonnes.
The field-level stocks of TSP, MoP and DAP are now only 15,926 tonnes, 10,344 tonnes and 4,552 tonnes respectively, said sources in the Department of Agricultural Extension and the BCIC on Tuesday.
The prices of non-urea fertilizers have also been increased to an exorbitant level in comparison to the last year’s prices, and they are likely to increase further, said the importers.
The farmers across the country are already becoming frustrated due to inadequate supply and exorbitant price-hikes of non-urea fertilizers.
‘There is no supply of TSP, MoP and DAP, and we are totally unable to buy those as now the price of TSP per kilogram has almost doubled to Tk 70,’ said a farmer, Abdul Malek, of Ramakhandi village of Sadar Lakshmipur upazila in Lakshmipur district, adding that the prices of MoP and DAP have also risen to Tk 44 and Tk 60-65. Last year, TSP was sold at Tk 38 per kg, MoP at Tk 30 and DAP at Tk 36.
Another farmer of Syedpur upazila under Rangpur district claimed that the price of TSP is Tk 55 per kg and of MoP Tk 48, but the fertilizer dealers of the area have stopped selling the old stock of non-urea fertilizers, aiming to sell them at exorbitant prices to the farmers when the new stocks arrive.
The government will have to supply adequate quantities of non-urea fertilisers at the field-level, particularly from mid-July to the end of the August, otherwise the yield of the aman crop will fall drastically, said a former high official of the DAE.
The chairman of the Bangladesh Fertilizer Association, Kafiluddin Ahmed, said, ‘Usually the prices of non-urea fertilizers are exorbitant all over the world and are likely to increase further…The fertilizer prices are skyrocketing and they have become already double the prices of the previous year.’
Now the import price of TSP per tonne is $1,065, of MoP at $1,050 and of DAP $1,350, though the prices of TSP, MoP and DAP were respectively $660, $550 and $700 in the international market recently, added the BFA’s chairman.
He stressed the need for increasing credit facilities for the dealers as now the banks are unwilling to loan adequate sums for buying fertilizers at the present prices from the international market.
Apparently, there is no chance at all of shortage of seeds in the aman season as the farmers already have managed to obtain the required quantity of seeds, but there is a chance of secondary seed crisis if the flood continues for a month longer, said a former field service director of the DAE, Dr Shahidul Islam.
Several nearby provinces in India have already been flooded and the water is likely to flow out through Bangladesh and the seed-beds of the transplanted aman are likely to be badly affected due to submergence by flood water, said the official, so more seeds are likely to be needed by the affected farmers. About 58.20 lakh hectares of land planted with aman seedlings are likely to produce about 1.37 crore tonnes of paddy in the current aman season.
It may be mentioned here that seeing the possible fertilizer crisis in the country, some businessmen tried to find supply sources in the world. Israel was one of the best sources to provide adequate quantity of fertilizer to Bangladesh. But, due to Bangladesh’s total ban on Israel [trade, travel, telecommunication, postal and diplomatic], suppliers in Israel are showing reluctance in extending any business cooperation to Dhaka.
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