All eight divisional commissioners have been asked to stand guard against unscrupulous dealers jacking up fertilizer prices amid the current Boro rice season.
At a meeting convened at the agriculture ministry on Sunday, the commissioners of all eight administrative divisions of the country were asked to remain extra vigilant against eventualities of market instability and farmers’ grievances stemming from disruptions in the supply of the key farm input.
With Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian in the chair, the meeting decided to take into task any dealer if found to be involved in misappropriating fertilizers thereby creating any artificial crises of fertilizer in the market.
The Cabinet Division had notified all divisional commissioners to attend the coordination meeting amid news of fertilizer being sold at inflated prices in different districts.
Agriculture ministry officials last week acknowledged receipt of complaints of overpricing and assured everyone of strict actions with the help of local administrations.
Farmers across Bangladesh require a proper supply of fertilizers – both urea and non-urea – as well as quality seeds, uninterrupted power and diesel supplies for irrigation during the Boro season to recoup some of the flood-induced losses caused during the Aman season earlier this year.
Amid high food inflation, the government earlier lifted taxes on rice to facilitate both public and private importers to import the cereal, Bangladesh’s staple food.
Boro contributes over 55% of the country’s annual rice output while the rest comes from Aman and Aus season paddies.
The Bangladesh government provides subsidies for fertilizers to keep their prices affordable. The aforementioned meeting asked the divisional commissioners to make it compulsory for stores selling fertilizers to hang red banners inscribing the subsidized prices of fertilizers.
Earlier this year, the erstwhile government had to issue bonds to settle arrear payments of fertilizer imports and the current transitional government had to inherit a huge burden of unpaid import bills.
With the onset of the Rabi season when demand for fertilizers reaches a peak as farmers become busy applying the chemical nutrients in rice fields as well as other winter crops, the market remains, somewhat, apprehensive of probable price volatility and demand-supply mismatch.
Officials at the agriculture ministry, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), however, are confident of the government providing a supply of fertilizer during the January-March peak demand period.
The country now has a stock of 681,000 tons of urea, 125,000 tons of triple super phosphate (TSP), 228,000 tons of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and 248,000 tons of muriate of potash (MoP), according to officials.
Last week, state news agency BSS quoted Ahmed Faisal Imam, additional secretary of the agriculture ministry, claiming that the government was not concerned about any fertilizer crisis as “we have sufficient stock.”
The total demand for urea and non-urea fertilizer for the Rabi season up to March has been fixed at 1,648,701 tons of urea, 466,279 tons of TSP, 968,777 tons of DAP and 556,846 tons of MoP.