No fertiliser crisis in Rajshahi, adequate stock in godowns: Divisional Commissioner

Adequate stocks of urea and non-urea fertilisers are available in government godowns to meet farmers' demand, said Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Yusuf Ali. The amount of fertiliser currently in stock is several times higher than the monthly demand of the district, he said, describing reports of a fertiliser crisis as misleading. He advised farmers not to panic or pay heed to rumours.

The divisional commissioner made the remarks after visiting the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) fertiliser godown in the Nowdapara area of the city on Tuesday, September 8, to assess the stock situation ahead of the upcoming Aman and Boro seasons.

The divisional commissioner said the BSCIC buffer godown currently has 9,804 tonnes of urea, 430 tonnes of TSP and 85.5 tonnes of DAP fertiliser. Meanwhile, the BADC godown has 6,312 tonnes of TSP, 801 tonnes of MOP and 4,348 tonnes of DAP fertiliser.

He said the allocation of TSP fertiliser for this month is 1,045 metric tonnes, while the godown has a stock of about 6,300 metric tonnes. Similarly, although the allocation of urea fertiliser for the district this month is 5,700 metric tonnes, nearly 10,000 tonnes of urea are stocked in one godown alone.

"There is no crisis of fertiliser. Adequate fertiliser is available in the godowns. Fertiliser is being regularly supplied to dealers according to the allocation of the Ministry of Agriculture, and they are selling it at their shops," Yusuf Ali said.

Regarding discussions on the fertiliser crisis, he said, "It appears that such a situation has been created because of misinformation being spread outside. The stock of fertiliser in the godowns is visible to everyone. There is nothing to hide."

The divisional commissioner further said the government has adequate stocks to meet the fertiliser needs of farmers for crop production. He urged farmers not to pay heed to any rumours about fertiliser and not to panic.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajshahi Mustafa Kamal Hossain was also present.