Around 80,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser is gradually losing quality as those have been kept under the open sky on the premises of Jamuna Fertiliser Factory located at Tarakandi, Jamalpur for long time.
Factory sources said the agri-input have been kept under the open sky over several months due to space shortage at the warehouse.
According to factory sources, Jamuna Fertiliser factory has the capacity to accommodate 64,000 tonnes of fertiliser while 144,000 tonnes of fertiliser have been stockpiled in and around the factory.
Local dealers said as fertiliser has not been disbursed among dealers of 16 districts across the country during the current Boro season, the amount of fertiliser has remained unsold.
A good number of dealers wishing anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune that a section of importers had influenced that Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation not to distribute fertiliser among dealers so that they could sell their imported fertiliser among them.
Jumuna Fertiliser Factory, the biggest fertiliser factory in the country, produces 1,600 tonnes fertiliser everyday. About 1,900 dealders are distributed fertiliser from the factory.
According to dealers, about 500 dealers were provided with fertiliser in January, Februray and March while 1,400 were deprived off the fertiliser during that period.
Abul Hossain, a dealer of Tarakandi area, told the Dhaka Tribune that during Boro season Jamuna Fertiliser Factory Command area met the demand of dealers with imported fertiliser. Now, a huge amount of fertiliser are kept in the factory’s warehouse.
Abdul Hamid, another dealer, said: “As imported fertiliser has been kept in the government godown, there is no space in the warehouse to keep the home-made fertiliser.”
Rafiqul Islam, another dealer, said: “Quality of the fertiliser might be damaged because of keeping those under open sky months after months.”
He also said the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation will make dealers to buy inequality fertiliser.
“Not only dealers, but also farmers will face loss after applying the inequality fertiliser in their fields.” Managing director of the factory Mustafizur Rahman said that they had kept the fertiliser with proper protective measures. He also assured the Dhaka Tribune that quality of the agri-input would not be hampered.