Government to pay less for fertiliser

bdnews24.com :
The government has approved six proposals to buy 230,000 tonnes of three types of fertilisers from the international market, with up to Tk 16 less per kg than before.
A cabinet committee approved three proposals of the industries ministry to buy 90,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser, two from the agriculture ministry to buy 100,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser and another proposal from the agriculture ministry to buy 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser on Wednesday.
Syed Mahbub Khan, an additional cabinet secretary, said 30,000 urea fertiliser would be purchased for Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation from Muntajat of Qatar at Tk 991.1 million, or Tk 33 per kg.
For another lot of 30,000 tonnes of urea from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited, the government has agreed to pay Tk 996.5 million, or Tk 33.21 per kg.
BCIC will also get 30,000 tonnes more urea from Sabik Agri-Nutrients of Saudi Arabia at Tk 952.5 million, or Tk 31.25 kg.
According to agriculture ministry data on Monday, the price of urea was Tk 48 per kg during the last purchase, which means the price has fallen by Tk 15-16 a kg.
Under another proposal, the government will buy 100,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser from the Canadian Commercial Corporation in two lots at Tk 2.37 billion each, or Tk 47.54.
The price is Tk 12.5 less than the last consignment.
The government will also buy 40,000 DSP fertiliser from Morocco’s OCP Group at Tk 2.39 billion, or Tk 59.83 a kg, for Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation. The price of the last lot was Tk 70 per kg.
The government, however, raised the retail price of fertilisers by Tk 5 a kg on Monday, citing the ongoing global economic situation and a rise in fertiliser prices on the international market.
The Ministry of Agriculture has recently determined that Bangladesh will need about 6.84 million tonnes of 11 different types of fertiliser, including urea and DAP, for the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal year.
The country has spent about Tk 150 billion on the fertiliser subsidy in the ongoing fiscal year, said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque.